The State of Sex in the City
by twitchytwain
Summary: AU/AH: When a New York sex columnist conducts research for an article about anonymous sex, she has no idea where it will lead to. She certainly hadn't counted on the likes of deviant billionaire playboy, Kol Mikaelson. KENNETT
1. The Assignment

**Synopsis:** Bonnie, a sex columnist for a New York paper has to write a titillating article about Anonymous sex in Manhattan. Enter sexy, enticing billionaire Kol Mikaelson for a risqué education in all things impersonal.

 **Rating: T-M**

..

"Your olive looks lonely"

Someone breathed against her neck eliciting a shiver as she spun around to snap at him. The words died in her mouth the moment she saw him, her challenge forgotten. Bonnie stiffened mouth slack as his lips curved into a slow, lazy smile. For some unknown reason her eyes remained there, fixed to luscious mouth. She caught a glimpse of his tongue as he spoke again and had to shake her head to rid her mind of the obscene thoughts she was now having about his tongue. A tongue she'd only met twenty seconds ago.

"Care for a refill, darling?" he drawled, dragging his gaze to her face, her wild green eyes, the slope of her nose until they settled on her lips. They hovered there for a while, waiting for her response.

"Uhmm…I'm waiting for someone" she muttered, raking a hand through her hair. Her eyes were still locked to his mouth, watching it intently, the way he mouthed his words, his white teeth and that flicker of tongue as he spoke. It was his English accent, she thought shifting on her barstool. That's the only reason she was staring at his mouth like that, it was that ridiculously seductive English brogue.

"Lucky someone" he grinned, settling onto a bar stool next to her, "They must be important, you look nervous" he added with her wink and a strange heat rippled through her.

"And you're still here? Look Mr.-"she pursed her lips, eyes narrowed as they began to scan the rest of his face. She noticed his ruffled dirty blonde hair, careful enough to steer away from his whiskey colored eyes. Caroline, her bestfriend would have called his eyes the Bermuda triangle for all Manhattan women.

"Fetish 101"

"What?" she shook her head, trying very hard to focus on whatever he was trying to say.

"I'm Fetish 101" he repeated and her pulse hastened faster than you can say .

"Oh, uhm…I'm sorry" Bonnies eyes widened as she recognized his screen name"…uhm…you said you'd be wearing a white tee-shirt and…"

"I figure why look like every other dick in New York, don't worry though, my briefs are white" he leaned in, eyes locked into hers. "Is that your thing, white?" he smirked, his eyes dragging down to her breasts in appraisal of her white body-con dress.

"Are you trying to say that I've got a stick up my arse?"

"I love how you say arse, "his eyes glittered with excitement" and no, I wouldn't dare say such a thing. I hardly know you, not yet"

Unable to draw her eyes away from his gaze, she tilted her head back as her hand searched for her empty glass.

"First time jitters or you're just admiring the chandelier?"

"Yes, that's it. First time jitters" she quickly assured him, her eyes darting around the crowded bar.

"What're you drinking?" he asked, beckoning for the bartender.

"Dirty martini" she told the burly barman. As she watched him retrieve a fresh bottle of London gin from the wall to wall bottles behind the bar, she wondered if tonight had been a good idea. Sure she was conducting research for her column on anonymous sex but she could've just googled the damn thing. It would've saved her an embarrassing evening.

"What's your kink? "Fetish 101's voice broke her from spell as she jerked her head toward him.

"I beg your-?"

"Asphyxiation?" he raised an eyebrow as he pulled her chiffon scarf free from around her neck weaving it between his long fingers. She stared, eyes flitting to the scarf and then back at him. She wondered what he was going to do with her scarf, she liked that scarf and she had sweated to get it. Sales at Bergdorf were no joke and every New York female knew that.

"Water sports?" he continued, slowly slipping her scarf between his fingers "Maybe you like being spanked" one corner of his mouth edged upward and her heart fluttered. Jerking up from her torrent of lust, she looked up as the barman placed their drinks in front of them. She swiftly picked up her murky glass of martini and raised it to her hungry lips. He seemed less keen on his bourbon as he studied the glass and its contents.

"How about voyeurism? You like watching don't you?" he asked, watching her over the rim of his glass. "Or maybe you like being watched?" he grazed his bottom lip with his teeth as he placed the glass back on the marble counter. A wave of heat surged through her and she pressed her lips tightly together to stifle whatever groan would crawl out from her parched throat. The martini wasn't working.

"Do we have to do this here, now?" she finally said or rather whispered as if people could hear the torrid conversation over the music.

"Would you rather we talk dirty later…after we've fuc-?" his voice was low and husky, just the right ingredients to harden her nipples.

"No" she cried slapping his thigh but swiftly removed her hand when she realized what she was holding. Christ, even his thighs were rock hard and warm beneath his sleek black Tom Ford pant suit. Bonnie imagined her legs twined with his, entangled between damp cotton sheets.

"We're building a circle of trust here Bonnie" he smiled sweetly, placing his warm hand over hers.

"Well it's rather unnerving" she said shakily, taking another gulp of her drink.

"I like my cocktail served with a side of profanity, how about you?" he leaned in to slip her scarf back around her neck and his calloused fingers briefly brushed against her neck, prickling her flesh.

"How abut we talk about uhm…the weather? "Anxiously, she dipped her finger into her drink and licked it.

"This is the part where I pay the bill and we head back to my place"

"For what exactly?" she gulped, perfectly aware of what could be in store for her.

"For an education in profanity" he smiled, taking out his wallet and slipping out his black card. Sliding his card across to the barman, he eyed her over his glass then set it back down on the counter. Bonnie poised her lips over her own glass, it was now or never.

The article wasn't about to write itself after all.


	2. The Foreplay

This wasn't safe.

She was being completely impractical and that was so unlike her.

Bonnie didn't even know his real name and calling him Fetish 101 just seemed ridiculous. She was new to the scene granted but this seemed rather dangerous. Sure, the man was insanely good looking, like Ryan Gosling good looking, like that shy guy from Felicity good looking but that wasn't enough. She was pretty sure that Ted Bundy and the rest had been pretty good looking too.

"Elizabeth, get in the car" he ordered, his gaze sliding down over the swell of her breasts to her slim hips before gliding back up to her glittering eyes. Bonnie's mouth tightened, her eyes darting from fetish 101 to the black town car and the waiting chauffer. She scoffed at her own pseudonym. She'd picked the name Elizabeth McGraw on a whim after signing up on the site and it seemed fitting for a site dealing with casual sexual encounters.

With outstretched hands, he moved closer to her and asked, "Are you scared?"

"No" she replied, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice. Clenching her eyes shut, Bonnie felt his hands move to rest on her shoulders. They felt warm, heavy as his thumb traced a throbbing vein on her neck. She sucked in a breath when his hands quested to the nape of her neck, fingers sliding into her hair. Suddenly Manhattan was too hot, too stifling with his belching summer heat.

"Maybe" she finally confessed, eyes sliding open to track his pulsing jaw muscle. He was so close she could smell him, so close that his heart seemed to beat inside her own chest.

"Just think of it as a sexual odyssey" he breathed against her neck, his heat tickling the shell of her ear. With a shaky gasp as if she suddenly sensed the concrete ground beneath her feet, Bonnie placed her palms against his chest and gave a gentle push. Her eyes drifted back to the waiting car and she gave a slight nod.

"Can I call you something else besides fetish 101?" Bonnie asked once they were inside the car, her clammy hands gripping her sparkly clutch. She heard him snort and feign a chuckle before he lowered his head, leaning closer to her again.

"John Gray, since we're quoting the movie Nine and a half weeks" he murmured, his voice working her neck like molten fingers. Her lips tweaked into a half smile, she was enjoying his sense of humor.

But she still wasn't satisfied, "What're you going to do to me?" she pressed on, her eyes fixed on the review mirror even though she could feel his thigh pressed against hers.

"No spoilers, Liz" he purred, sending another shiver through her body.

..

"Take off your shoes?" Came the instruction the minute they ventured inside his sprawling apartment with its eighteen foot high ceilings and polished hardwood floors. Bonnie's eyes rushed from his minimalistic leather furniture to the panoramic views of the Hudson River.

"My shoes?" her eyes widened, fleeting to his bare feet.

"Yes. You can put them back on when we're fucking" he flung the sentence over his shoulder as he proceeded toward the long Maplewood bar. Bonnie took a deep breath and slipped off her stilettos. The floorboards were warm under the pads of her feet as she strolled to the bar. She settled on one of the leather barstools lining the bar and casually slipped off her scarf as he set two martini glasses in front of her.

"You have a beautiful home" she complemented, scanning a pair of antique Buddha statues with curios eyes.

"All the better to fuck you in, Liz" he curled his accent around the words and she wasn't sure whether to blush or take offence to his vulgarity. He didn't bother to look up at her as he said this but when he finished assembling her cocktail his eyes swung up to stare at her.

"A dirty martini for a very dirty girl scout" he smiled, sliding the drink toward her.

"Thank you" she smiled and took a slow sip.

"Have I told you how scrumptious you look?"

"Thank you"

"Stop being so polite, Liz" he exhaled, running a hand down his white dress shirt before unbuttoning the first three buttons. The fake name was starting to annoy her. She wanted her name on his lips, wanted him to caress the vowels like his tongue caressed his dirty martini.

"Ok" Bonnie replied as she drained her drink. She wasn't exactly sure what was wrong with her, maybe she was malfunctioning because she wasn't acting like her usual self. There was no banter with this guy, none of her usual smart comebacks. She was like a dud, a dead slug with no personality and she couldn't understand why. Plucking an olive from her empty glass, she watched as he walked to his elegant entertainment center.

"You like Nina Simone?" he asked, holding up a record.

"I'm familiar with her" she shrugged, eyes gliding over his broad shoulders and down his back.

"I saw a show of hers in Italy once with my mother. She was crazy about Miss Simone"

"Yeah" her throat was feeling tight again but her head was swimming. She had the right measure of intoxication, she thought as she swung her feet off the barstool. Bonnie ducked behind the bar as Nina Simone's soothing voice filled the apartment.

"Refill?" he raised an eyebrow as he sauntered back toward her. She could feel the heat emanating from his crisp white shirt and his tousled muddy blond hair.

"You judging?" she bit her lip, slipping a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Never" he fixed his eyes on her, "The drunker you are…"

"The filthier I get?" she suggested, lifting up a bottle of London gin.

"What is this, dirty mad libs?"

"There's an idea!" she chuckled, knocking back a shot.

"I'm a verb, Liz. I don't talk, I do" he drawled, eyes digging into hers making her swallow.

"But you keep teasing?" Bonnie leaned over the wooden counter, running her tongue over her teeth.

"I keep teasing?" his whiskey-colored eyes narrowed as he inched closer toward her.

"You should start practicing what you preach" she dragged her tongue along her bottom lip, tasting the olive brine from her cocktail.

"Now we're talking, "he chuckled, "Carpe Noctem!" he murmured, his nose grazing hers as his heated breath fanned her cheek.

..


	3. Touch

"Open your mouth" He said reaching into a small silver bucker for a cube of ice. Bonnie's eyes flickered open, a breath seeping out of her mouth as he slid the ice along her bottom lip. Slowly he traced it along her quivering lips, easing it down her throbbing neck. She loved the contrast of its icy wetness and his heated breath on her neck.

Eliciting a sigh, she arched her neck and breathed, "I think I might need to lie down for this"

"Anxious aren't we?" he ran his tongue along the shell of her ear, teeth nipping at her earlobe. His voice seemed to wind around her, his tremble sending shivers straight through to her aching groin.

"It's been a while" she moaned as he fingered her dress, revealing a white lacy bra. She bit back a cry when the ice touched her shoulder. Gasping now, her eyes sprang forth at him as he dragged her bra strap down her shoulder, hot tongue soothing the pain of the cold ice. She was heady from his scent, woodsy leather and olive blossoms.

"Then I'll be soft, gentle and easy…" his lips curved into a broad grin, "and slow, very very slow"

"No" she warned with a lowly growl, unable to control herself.

Bemused, he looked up, hands gliding to the back of her neck "No?"

"You have my permission to be as hard as possible"

"Well look at you, busting out of that shell" warm hands slid to the curve of her waist before cupping her lush buttocks.

"It's the gin talking" she chuckled, her eyes flitting to his lips. She could feel his fingers crawling down her hips, slipping down her thighs and creeping under her dress to cup her mound over her panties.

"You have a beautiful mouth" he murmured against her lips, his thumb tracing the edge of her panties. For a moment she couldn't think, the pleasure was too great.

"I have a beautiful everything, "she smirked, gripping his broad shoulders to steady herself "you did tell me to stop being so polite"

"And so I did" his fingers worked against the lace, long and dizzy strokes down her throbbing clit. Bonnie was no longer sure of place or time, all she knew and all she was greatly aware of was the pleasure he was giving her.

"Do you do everything I tell you to?" his fingers moved up again, damp over her bare shoulder blades to the nape of her neck.

"Would you like me to do everything you tell me to?" Bonnie blew a shaky breath when his hands fisted her hair, tilting her head up so that she could look at him square in the eyes.

"I'd like to violate that pretty mouth of yours and I want you to tell me how much you like it" he traced a thumb along her quivering lip before dipping it onto her mouth. Bonnie's first reaction was to suck as she savored the feel and taste of her arousal in her mouth. She flicked her tongue around his thumb, teasing, and big green eyes boring into his. With a strained groan, he lifted her up over his shoulder, one hand on her ass.

As he carried her up the stairs, long metallic rungs that clanked each time he took a step, she could hardly comprehend anything.

All she knew was that she wanted him right then but when she clung to him he freed himself and walked to a wing chair in front of his floor to ceiling window. Bonnie blinked owlishly, her gaze adjusting to the dazzling city lights that stretched beneath them.

"Where are you from?" he asked, pouring himself drink. It took her some time to adjust to the new environment as well as the new tenor in his voice. His phrases were clipped and commanding.

"What makes you think I'm not born and bred in New York?" she placed both hands on her hips trying to look nonchalant as she scanned the room. When her eyes settled on the big sprawling bed anchoring the room, she sucked in a deep breath. She wondered how many women had actually slept in his bed. He was swiftly beginning to strike her as a creepy dungeon's type of guy.

"Turn around" he said flatly, "Unzip your dress"

Gingerly, she pivoted around to face away from his and began to drag the zipper down to the base of her spine. Slowly she slid it off her shoulders before glancing over to look at him.

"You have that Alice in Wonderland look about you" he drawled, eyes focused on her hips as she skimmed the dress over them.

"Are you saying I look naïve?" she raised an eyebrow, turning around to face him but he stopped her with his hand and motioned her to face the other way again.

"Take off your bra"

Slowly she unclasped it and watched it fall to the hardwood floor like an airy cloud. He was quiet for a while but she could feel his gaze sweeping over her. She didn't move, waiting for further instructions.

"I'm saying you look like you're ready for an adventure" he finally rasped and Bonnie could hear the ice rattling inside his glass before he took a sip, "Bend over and put your hands on the bed" he instructed and she obeyed. It was becoming instinct now, like he was pulling invisible strings attached to her arms and legs, attached to her core.

"And will you be my rabbit hole?" her palms pressed against the white Egyptian cotton.

"Speaking of holes, take off your panties" he said very matter of factly. There was no hesitation anymore as she reached for the elastic band.

"Slowly, darling. Pretend it's me undressing you" he directed and she heard the spark of a lighter before a strong cigar smell filtered through the room. She slid the lace over her hips, dragging them down her legs until she was standing there in nothing but her silver stilettos.

"Manhattan is a bubble and trust me, it's not as cosmopolitan as one might think" he told her, blowing smoke.

"Toss them here" he ordered and she complied.

"Its crawling with three types of women; bimbettes, feminists and lesbians" he shrugged his shoulders, pressing her panties over his nose. He inhaled deeply, a hint of a smile on his face before tossing them aside.

"How misogynistic of you" Bonnie offered, crossing her arms over her bare breasts.

"Turn around" his gaze dragged down her body, over every inch of her, "Get on the bed "

She complied again, crawling to the middle of the bed, head over the side so he could have a view of her breasts and her legs. She propped herself up on her elbows and caught sight of the mirror on his ceiling. The discovery startled her at first, as if she had discovered someone watching them.

"Touch yourself" he said from somewhere in her haze.

"I'd rather you touched me"

"Be an obedient little cunt and touch yourself" he sipped his drink, and then as if recalling his manners, "Please" he added.

Slowly, Bonnie traced the lines on her ribcage, sliding her hands up to her breasts. His eyes didn't leave her body the entire time; they slid down to the curve of her hips, coursing back up to her hardened nipples. He watched with careful intensity as she pinched her nipples but did not once shift from his seating position. He mapped her lush curves with his hooded eyes, one hand rattling the ice in his bourbon glass. The idea of his bare flesh pressed against hers made her shudder and crave him even more. Having him watch her like this was thrilling torture. Bonnie felt completely exposed and at his complete disposal.

"I bet you taste delicious" he rasped, tracing his wet tongue along his bottom lip.

"Taste yourself "

She spread her legs a little wider, dipping a finger inside her sleek folds. She felt so exposed but with every stroke, she grew more comfortable. She was starting to like having him watch her; the idea excited her, his breathing excited her. She felt his gaze on her fingers as they pressed harder between legs.

"Taste yourself" he reminded her, his breathed hitched as he gulped down his drink. Bonnie brought two fingers to her mouth and twirled her tongue around them before dipping back down to her center.

"Are you wet?" he groaned, nails gripping the leather arm rests.

"Yes" she moaned, eyes sliding shut. She was so damn close.

"What do you taste like?"

"Like filth" she gritted her teeth, hips thrashing up eagerly as a wave washed over her.

It was quiet for a long while. The room filled with Nina Simone's voice, his rattling ice, and her heavy breathing.

"This is the part where my driver takes you home" his voice was soft as he rose from his chair. He padded to the phone seating on his nightstand. Bonnie half expected someone to come out yelling ' _hi, you're on candid camera_!' but quickly remembered that this was New York. This was the city of casual sex and casual encounters had their own protocol.

And this was one of those protocols.

"Its nothing personal, I just enjoy sleeping on my own" he glanced over his shoulder while waiting for his driver to pick up the phone. Shaking her head, she scrambled to her feet and hunted the floor for her clothes.

"Your house, your rules" she spat between the quest for her bra and panties. She heard him speak to the driver in short, clipped sentences before hanging up.

"I'd like to see you again" he placed his cigar on a black ceramic ashtray then drained his bourbon. Rage mounted inside her as she dressed but she refused to raise her voice. She refused to make a spectacle of herself for some typical Manhattan narcissist's amusement.

"No" she replied dryly.

"No?"

"My pussy, my rules." She snarled, blood rushing to her cheeks.

"I've offended you, haven't I?"

Incredulous, Bonnie thought, Manhattan men were a breed on their own. She slipped on her shoes, intent on wearing them now and branding his damn precious floor with them.

"My feelings are my responsibility and I won't let you determine my self-worth"

"Your shrink must be so proud"

"Oh joy, how I love sarcasm!" she spat, yanking his door open.

"Where are you going?" he followed her down the stair case as Bonnie lunged down the steps two at a time. Why was she was so angry? These were the rules of casual sex. She had been a sex columnist in New York long enough to know this. She'd also engaged in a couple of one night stands to know how this worked but it was how _he_ did it. It was cold and calculating. He was not chivalrous at all and she felt duped into thinking he was something he truly was not.

"Home!"

"Alfred will take you home"

"Don't worry your pretty little head"

"I insist"

"You're just a filthy, rude pile of shit" she hissed, hand poised over his doorknob.

"That seemed to get you all wet a minute ago" shrugging, he leaned a shoulder against the door and watched her through his long eyelashes. "This rude pile of shit made you come over and over Liz, or have you forgotten?"

"I made myself come, you were just an audience" Bonnie cocked her head, chin jutted in defiance.

"I was the coach, darling" he grinned, big dimpled and obnoxious "You needed me to come"

"Unlock the door!"

"Are you hungry?" he smiled, white teeth lighting up his tanned face.

"Open this door!" Bonnie demanded, brows furrowed.

"There's a place around the corner, it serves the best basturma in the city and their vodka isn't half bad"

"You've lost your mind haven't you?" she screamed, eyes wide as she glared at him, "Christ I've been with a freaking lunatic-"

"And you liked it"

She didn't know how but the door finally clicked open and she was in his private elevator. Before he could follow her out, she quickly punched in the code he'd seen him use earlier. Her breath was coming in fast, anxious rasps as she rode the lift to the ground floor. By the time she strode past the doorman, Alfred was waiting outside the town car waiting for her. Bonnie walked past in a huff and lifted her arm to hail down a cab. She wouldn't give the asshole the satisfaction of actually using his chauffer.

There was a silver lining, she thought. She had her article.

As soon as a yellow taxi pulled up next to her, she dove inside and gave the driver her street address. She doubted if Caroline would be home. It was a Saturday night after all; in fact she was praying that she wouldn't be home. Bonnie needed the apartment all to herself tonight. She wanted a steaming hot bath, three shots of tequila and her big comfy bed. Scratching inside her clutch she discovered something that wasn't there, her Hermes scarf.

"Fuck my life!" she screamed, head hitting the headrest and the cabbie merely glanced at her through his review mirror. He gave her that knowing smile that said _yes, I've seen it all_. _This is New York._


	4. Amuse Bouche

**A/N: You guys are too awesome…words cannot express. Thank you.**

..

Bonnie's eyes were still raw when she woke up, her thighs tangled in sheets. She kicked the sheets off her body and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She sat like that for a while, rubbing her eyes and listening to the traffic outside. When the aroma of burning bacon wafted through to her bedroom, she realized that Caroline was home.

Every Sunday she tried to make a home cooked breakfast and every Sunday they ended up at the corner deli ordering sesame bagels with sour cream. There was no place for domesticity in Manhattan. It was all about breaking sexual taboos, excitement and the race to climb the career ladder. These were her thoughts and she was sticking by them even if Caroline had other ideas.

"Morning!" Bonnie chimed, slapping the kitchen door open. Caroline stood in the middle of a smoke riddled kitchen holding what appeared to be a spatula. She laughed running a hand through her messy blond hair and Bonnie leaned against the door regarding her. The first thing Bonnie noticed were the boxer shorts, striped blue and looking very snug on her roommate.

"Hey, should I get the fire extinguisher?" a male voice materialized from the smog, startling Bonnie. It was only once she recognizes his face that her shoulders settle back down, her hands shoved in the pockets of her dressing gown.

"Tyler" Bonnie greeted, sweeping her gaze over him. He's the ex, she thought or at least he was the ex two months ago. She wondered if she'd missed something, maybe she'd been too busy with work to realize that Caroline had been dating the douchebag again. Granted, yes the man was as sexy and as hot as the hinges of hell but he was an underpaid advertising executive with more than a few notches on his belt. Caroline was making a mistake, Bonnie was sure of it but she wasn't woman enough to admit to her own error in judgement wth her little escapade with Mr. English.

Unfortunately for her, it was a mistake that had cost her a great deal. Her Hermes scarf was now collateral damage.

..

When Leah ushered her into her boss's massive office, Bonnie was relatively calm. She was even rather excited because the article was turning out to be a gem. Who knew that writing about the sex one was actually having could be so much fun. Ok, maybe sex was the wrong word to use because he hadn't actually penetrated her. Did sex even mean penetration? She was in the middle of this serious debate in her head when her boss looked up from her telephone call.

Hayley Marshall held up a finger indicating that she'd be only be a minute. Nodding, Bonnie directed her attention outside where Manhattan lay bustling eight feet from the ground. After a while, Hayley hung up the phone and looked up at her. She gave Bonnie a brittle smile while she reached for her Elizabeth Arden face mist spray. What followed was a long tedious exercise of Hayley preening herself, right down to applying a fresh coat of blood red lipstick.

"How's the article coming along?" She finally asked, rubbing lotion into her hands.

"It's practically writing itself" Bonnie crossed her arms against her chest, the white tank leather dress pressing against her dewy skin.

"Good to hear" She nodded as she reclined back against her white leather chair. Bonnie was about to add something, hopefully something to help advance her career at the paper when the door flew open.

"Klaus, darling!" Hayley lurched to her feet, arms outstretched as she bounded for him. Bonnie's eyes darted to the door and pursued the man in a dark grey three piece Brioni suit. He looked scintillating in the European cut and could see why Hayley was so smitten with him. When Bonnie saw the man following shortly behind Klaus Mikaelson, she stumbled backward. The universe had a sick sense of humor, she thought fixing her eyes to the marble floor. Her stomach clenched and her skin tingled but she steadied herself, rooted to the spot.

"Why didn't you call?" Hayley was babbling.

"Then it wouldn't be a surprise, love"

Bonnie heard the distinct English brogue as the two of them exchanged pleasantries. Salacious gossip around the office said that Hayley had been involved in a torrid affair with a Mikaelson heir and that her daughter had been a result of that affair. She'd never actually seen Klaus Mikaelson in person because they moved around in different circles and now he stood a few feet from her and she couldn't look up because of the man accompanying him.

"And Kol, looking dapper as usual" Hayley cooed and Bonnie imagined her tossing her dark hair over her shoulder.

"Thank you, sweetheart" he replied, his voice ripping through her gut.

"You back in the city?"

"Let's just say I grew sick of India and Europe is a drag" he drawled languish before something stopped him in his tracks. Bonnie noted the slight hitch in his breath before he resumed again like nothing had happened. Kol Mikaelson, the minute Bonnie heard his real name she knew who she was. He was other Mikaelson heir, the boy the family had lost to wanderlust. Over the years she had seen pictures of Klaus on page six, read the gossip blogs about his numerous affairs with actresses and the tumulus marriage to Camille O'Connell. Raising her eyes, her gaze collided with his and she gasped. Kol's lips formed her fake name, the hint of as smile tweaking the corners of his mouth. He didn't look as shocked to see her as she obviously was and he wore nonchalance quite well. Her eyes followed the afternoon sun across his ruffled hair, coasted down to his golden eyes and drifted over his shoulders covered in a slim-fit summer sweater. It was a plunging V-neck, sleeves rolled up to showcase his arms and the Breitling watch around his wrist. He looked like he had just stepped out of Italian GQ and the fact that he smelled like salty sea air today made her want him even more. She wanted to be stranded in some beach with him where the waves pounded the shore while he made love to her.

The memory made her cheeks burn and she dropped her gaze once more. She tugged at her fake red pearls, tracing a sandal along the patterns on the marble floor before glancing up at him again. She felt sure that they could all hear her staggering heartbeat.

Hayley jerked her gaze away from Klaus and blurted, "Bonnie, you're still here?"

Bonnie's back straightened as she shot her boss a wide-eyed look. When she didn't offer a response, the brunette merely scowled and snapped, "Pick up my Dior coat at the dry cleaners will you?"

"You mean Leah should pick up your-"Bonnie shook her head, motioning toward the entrance where Leah, Hayley's assistant was busy assembling a pile of papers. Running errands for Hayley wasn't part of her job description that was Leah's area of expertise. Hers was to churn out fantastic articles that garnered readership from females eighteen to thirty-five.

"I said Bonnie and I'm looking at you, aren't I?" she crossed the floor heading back to her desk. Opening her purse, she fished out her wallet and pulled out a ticket and a few dollars for her to pay the dry-cleaning bill. Tentatively, Bonnie stepped forward and took the ticket and money from Hayley. She could still feel Kol's eyes on her and Klaus's curious glare.

"It's the one on Broadway" Hayley explained, sizing her up with her big brown eyes before sauntering to Klaus again. "Ok, run along now!" she quickly added, waving Bonnie away with her hand. With a veiled scorn, Bonnie turned on her heel and stomped out of the office leaving behind a zesty trail of Marc Jacob's Oh Lola perfume.

With flushed cheeks and a disdain for all things Hayley, she made her way down to Broadway. Locating the dry cleaners amongst throngs of people and towering skyscrapers was like locating the last Chanel flap back during black Friday. When she eventually hopped back into a cab to Fifth Avenue, she was quite happy to be done with the exercise.

"Didn't you get the memo?" Leah asked as soon as Bonnie barreled into Hayley's office, the rustling coat in her hand.

"What now?" she puffed and blew out tendrils of hair from her forehead.

"Hayley asked you to drop the coat off at the restaurant"

"What restaurant?" she slapped the plastic wrapped coat on Leah's desk before crossing her arms against her chest.

"She's having lunch with Klaus and Kol at Daniel"

"You're kidding right?"

"Yes I kid because Hayley is so awesome like that" Leah rolled her brown eyes, picked up the coat from her desk and handed it back to her.

..

She stood for a moment at the threshold of the restaurant, scanning the elegant space for the group. When she finally spotted them through the crowd, she made her way to the table with the maître d' following shortly behind. A number of eyes followed her as she ventured deeper inside the restaurant, her gaze darting from the chandeliers to the delicate French décor.

"Bonnie, what the hell are you doing here?" Hayley shot her a look; mouth poised over a glass of chardonnay.

"You asked me to drop off your coat" she stammered, looking from Klaus then back to Hayley. She was trying to avoid Kol's gaze by all means.

"That's ridiculous!" Hayley spat, eyes widening as she sized Bonnie up.

"Leah said-"

"I didn't ask you to drop off anything. In fact I-"

"I did" Kol raised his hand like a naughty little school boy. "I told Leah you could drop off Hayley's coat" he shrugged, the smile carrying over to his eyes. Bonnie blinked twice, not quite comprehending why he would do such a thing.

"Take a seat" he told her levelly and she watched as he rose from his chair to pull out seat for her. "You must be tired" he added, not taking his eyes off her. The maître d' took Hayley's coat from her hands and Bonnie settled into the seat next to Kol. She was still perplexed as to why he wanted to spend more than the obligatory minutes with her after the manner in which they parted.

"Would you like something to drink?" a waiter materialized to enquire and her eyes rushed to Hayley.

"She'll have some champagne" Kol replied absentmindedly as he refilled his glass with water.

"It's working hours" Hayley explained, not bothering to look up from her menu.

"What time does she knock off?"

"Five"

"That's three hours from now," Kol grinned, eyes gliding over Hayley in her red peplum dress, "and since this is bound to be a three hour lunch, well we can say that Bonnie is off the clock"

Bonnie's eyes flitted from Hayley to Kol the entire time as they discussed her like she wasn't there. She caught sight of Klaus narrowing his eyes at her. He looked just about as intrigued with the scene as she was.

"Champagne it is" she told the waiter gleefully and Hayley shifted in her won seat as she gulped down her white wine. The trio conversed over a cacophony of voices and clinking plates as she observed them. The waiter came back with her champagne and she swiftly snatched it from his tray. She could hear Hayley groan under her breath but she didn't care. She sat back and allowed the server to place an avocado and salmon amuse bouche in front of her. It looked too pretty and sculptural, like something one would see at the Guggenheim museum. She loved the smooth emerald green of the avocado and the delicate pinks of the salmon but the sparkling rose of grapefruit shavings on top of a dollop of white cream really made her heart flutter. Gingerly, she picked up the spoon and slipped it into her mouth.

"Do you like it?" Kol asked, almost breathing into her ear he was so close.

"It's delicious" she assured him, her tongue caressing the roof of her mouth.

"Is the grapefruit tart on tongue?" he breathed against her neck. He was seating so close to her that Bonnie doubted their voices carried to the other couple. This didn't stop her from blushing however as she took another sip of champagne.

"Yes, "she nodded, her fingertips tracing the mouth of the flute.

"And the salmon? So light, almost translucent shavings of silky pink that melt on your tongue" his tongue stroked every syllable and she squirmed in her seat, the embroidery digging into flesh. Involuntarily, her thigh pressed against his and a moan escaped her lips. She loved the way the words rumbled in his chest, loved the way they vibrated against her groin. She could feel him everywhere, wrapped around her clenched torso, clenched around her nipples and she welcomed the sensation.

"Pink, silky, moist folds of salmon" Kol murmured, his tongue touching the rim of his wine glass. He slid his hand beneath the white tablecloth, startling her when his fingers brushed against her thigh. Kol tasting his wine was like Kol tasting her and raw desire wrapped around her so tight that she forgot the couple dining with them. He slipped a hand under dress and she swallowed back a moan. She observed as Hayley forked up bits of her warm goat cheese salad into her mouth and her fingers dug into the table.

"Try some caviar; it's like a party on your tongue" the words rolled like butter from Kol's tongue, his fingers crawling underneath her panties. He teased her, delicate strokes running down her clit before plunging a finger inside. The grapefruit was tart on her tongue, the salmon slippery in her mouth but when the caviar crushed against the roof of her tongue it elicited a breathy moan.

"Do you like it?" he breathed and she wasn't sure if he was referring to the caviar or his marvelous fingers. She loved both, Christ she loved both.

"I love it" closing her eyes, she lifted her hips to catch his fingers as another two joined the party. Bonnie only paused momentarily when Hayley stole a curious glance at her. She chose to clench herself around his fingers rather than rock her hips against him. This seemed to draw less attention.

"Take off your knickers" Kol said gruffly, fingers skillfully plunging inside her while his thumb caressed her moist clit.

"What?"

"Take off your panties" he translated because seemingly he thought the definition of knickers was lost on her.

"What is it with you and my panties?" she breathed heavily as his fingers slipped out of her.

"Can we have a normal conversation for like five minutes?" She chuckled breathily, "We could talk about Che Guevera and the Cuban revolution"

"I'm more of a Fidel Castro man, myself" he teased, observing the fingers that had been inside her before giving each an attentive lick with his tongue. Suddenly the thought of his tongue doing what his nimble fingers had been doing brought her hurtling over the edge. How was it possible for a man to make her feel all this, this want, and this need for him?

"Get up, go to the bathroom, third stall on your right and take off your knickers" Kol said slowly as he sliced his chicken cordon bleu. He slipped a tender morsel of it into his mouth and Bonnie stared at him, transfixed.

He might as well have said third stall on your right is where you'll find orgasmic bliss. Without saying a word, she swiped her napkin off her lap and placed it on the table before excusing herself with a nod.


	5. Knickers and Pearls

What were there odds of a little Virginia girl conducting in coitus inside the bathroom stall of a three star Michelin restaurant? It probably wasn't very sanitary but the idea was as sexy as a ménage a trois with Michael Fassbinder and Leo DiCaprio. Maybe she could substitute Leo for Ryan Gosling but she was sure that it would affect Michael's Rhythm somehow and she wouldn't want to upset Michael.

Bonnie sighed as she stared at her reflection in the mirror because she was sure she would never look at salmon the same way again. Kol had turned salmon into the most erotic thing she had ever consumed and now she was here waiting for him inside Daniel's restroom. She scowled at her reflection; her chin thrust out then broke into a goofy grin.

Bathroom Encounters.

Christ, she couldn't do this.

For one thing, she was pretty sure that there was a TV show somewhere called _Bathroom Encounters_. Naturally most of its guests would include a fair amount of truck drivers and diner waitresses. If she had sex with Kol Mikaelson in the bathroom she wouldn't be any better than a diner waitress in Arizona, not that there was anything wrong with diner waitresses…in Arizona. Chuckling to herself, she opened the faucet and washed her hands with their apricot lotion before running her damp hands through her hair to ruffle the curls. She flicked her purse open and pulled out a tube of lip-gloss. Dabbing to her lips with her pinkie, she pursed her lips together and winked at the gilt mirror.

As she marched out of the bathroom to head back to the dining area, she barrelled into some hard and solid. The first thing she smelled was briny sea water and freshly cut grapefruits left out in the sun. When she looked up, her eyes collided with Kol's.

"You smell like summer at the Vineyard" she prattled, her palms rested firmly on his chest and his muscles contracted beneath them. "I bet you own property on the Vineyard" she said, breathy as her hands slid down the front of his skinny sweater. She could feel every movement he made, the shift of his pectoral muscles, the heat radiating from his flesh.

"Going somewhere?" his raspy voice broke her spell prompting her eyes to widen up ta him.

"Yes…listen, I'm not this girl…I'm-"her words died in an abrupt gasp in his mouth. It took her a while to realize that Kol was kissing her but when he fisted her hair, driving her toward the stall, she sprang up and clutched on to him for dear life. His mouth was warm, soft, so damn soft as his hands kneaded her ass. The adrenalin was making her entire body tingle, legs coiled around him as she pushed her hips against his merciless groin. The realization that he, Kol Mikaelson was finally kissing her made her head swim. He was actually kissing her and it turned out he was bloody good at it too. When they broke free from the kiss, they were shivering, eyes dragging from each other's eyes to linger on each other's lips. His were parted, a groan making his Adam's apple bob against the palm of her hand. She hadn't even grasped that her fingers were wound around his throat.

"You don't happen to have a Do Not Disturb sign in your pants do you?" she hissed against his mouth, her fingers moving to the coils of his dirty-blonde hair.

"Would you like to check?"

"Kol, I'm serious…someone could walk in"

"And that vexes you, sweetheart?" He was amused but the ferocity of his kiss was only fuelled by her morality. When he slid his mouth across her cheek to her neck, she groaned and raised her hips against him. She felt his hands slide down to her hips to anchor them against the stall.

"It should excite you" he breathed, teeth nipping the lobe of her ear. Arching her neck, she gave his heated mouth better access as her nails dragged down the nape of his nape. He shuddered against her, a breath that pulsated against the shell of her ear making her suck in a breath. Sinking her fingers into his hair, she held him right there, his eager mouth sucking and locking on a vein on the side of her neck.

"Uhmm…hmm…people…they…uhmm…"her protests were weak, her hands moving to his chest to give him a gentle nudge.

"I don't give a toss about people" he hummed in her ear, his erection pressing against her pubic bone.

"Oh Ch…Christ, "she gasped, a tingle fluttering about in the spot where she felt his erection.

"I want you here, right now" he rasped again before heaving her up tighter and firmer against him. She caught off guard by the power and strength in his arms and before she knew it, he had set her feet back on the floor, swerved her around and pinned her cheek against the stall. He was behind her now, his left hand skimming her hips while the right curled around her throat.

"I know my limits" she argued, "no public sex"

Without saying a word, he trailed his hand down her quivering thighs to skim along the hem of her dress. Slowly he lifted it up as if he was testing the waters, gaging the gravity of her statement. Her eyes closed when his fingers danced to the inside of her thigh, a sliver of an inch away from her soaked knickers.

"You're a lay person aren't you, I say one thing and it goes flying out the other ear" she moaned breathlessly and arched her neck back toward his face. "You should come with a fucking disclaimer"

"And you should come with instructions" he growled, pulling the dress up to her waist. When he slid is hand inside her panties, her neck lolled back, and her eyelids fluttering like a possessed woman. His strokes were gentle but firm, a shudder of pleasure before his fingers slipped inside her again.

"Instructions, sweetheart…something like, " he didn't stop plunging in and out, in and out, in and out as she rocked against his hand, "like…add a smattering of salt and pepper, oil you up really well before kneading and then pound and pound and pound…"

"Sh...Sh...Shit!" with a shudder, her hand clutching his hand around her throat, she rocked her hips harder against his left hand until a wave of bliss shattered through her. Pursing her lips, Bonnie breathed through her mouth as she tried to bring her heart rate down. Her vision was still blurry, a phantom tingle between her thighs but she could see him move to the wash basins lining the front of the restroom. He opened a faucet and washed his hands with some minty hand wash then he dried them on Egyptian cotton towels. Her chest tightened as he squeezed lotion on his hands, all the while his face wearing the look of someone who'd just scored.

"Are you ever gonna get as good as you give?" she slouched against the stall, her breath coming in ragged inhales. She watched his lips curl at the sides from the mirror, the arch of his eyebrow and the poised almost nonchalant demeanour of his was back.

"What do you mean, darling?" he turned to lean against the basin, arms crossed against his chest. Bonnie mimicked her body language and folded her own arms and with that he pushed back and sauntered toward her.

"Are you ever gonna let me finger fuck you back?" she hissed, her eyes shooting daggers into him.

"All in good time" he tipped her chin up with his thumb and forefinger, "I'll see you at the table"

"No you won't" her chest tightened as she glared at him. This dirty martini guzzling, fake Chanel toting cosmopolitan woman role she was playing was taking its toll on her. She shouldn't agreed to the stupid lunch with him. She never did repeats, a one night stand was a one night stand but curiosity had gotten the better of her and now she was paying the price.

"You leaving so soon" he cocked an eyebrow, his thumb trailing her bottom lip.

"It's been a blast but I have people to see, people to screw" she sounded hoarse, she hated that she sounded hoarse because it gave her voice too much emotion. She didn't want to sound like she cared, let alone look like she cared.

"Good afternoon then" he breathed before turning on his heel. He was actually walking away, she thought. Clenching her eyes shut, she took in a sharp inhale before she grinned and called to his back, "Give my regards to the table" then as he swung the restroom door open she added with a coquettish laugh,

"By the way, you owe me a scarf!"

..

"So who's this guy you've been saying?" Matt Donavon, recently back from a San Francisco vacation with his boyfriend asked as they rummaged through the sale bins at Saks.

"What guy?"

"I've known you since Kindergarten remember, there's no lie I cannot detect"

"There's nothing to tell, "She confessed, "it's done it's finished" Bonnie shrugged plucking out a pair of black leather pants from the wicker bin.

"Can I at least get a quick recap?"

"Hmm" she held the pants against her hips to which he shook his head vehemently, "it was two dates, it meant nothing."

"Can we talk about you and San Francisco?"

"It's got good coffee?" he grinned, giving off that all American glint in his eye.

"Spill" Bonnie commanded, slapping his chest with her hand.

"Why, I know you don't like him" he drawled, modulated his voice into the perfect Charleston accent.

"Well, for one thing he's married" she stated as she used her hand to count the said boyfriend's faults.

"Technicality" Matt swiftly brushed it off as they weaved through the clothing aisles.

"He's a cheater and you're the other man" she noted, using another finger.

"Morality" Matt said, glancing at her over his shoulder.

"You're being slutty" Bonnie held up the middle finger and winked.

"Hello kettle, my name is pot" he chuckled then picked up a tee-shirt from an island in the middle of the store. "Look, I'm twenty six living in the crappiest, most wonderful city in the world. I deserve a little fairy-tale

"And he's your fairy-tale?" she raised her eyebrows and snatched the tee-shirt away from him only to hold it up against her chest.

"He's a congressman that will take me all the way to Washington DC" Matt argued, snatching the shirt back from her.

"You'd leave New York?"

"Oh, honey, "he touched her chin with the back of his hand, "What has New York ever done for me?"

Bonnie swallowed and watched as he strolled of to the accessories department. She closed her eyes wondering what the city would be like without her friend Matt, sure she had Caroline and on occasion Katherine but Matt was her glue, Matt was her Virginia.

..

 _ **A/N: Rather short I know darlings, next chapter will be longer. I pinkie swear lol.**_


	6. Mirror Mirror

Sex was never just sex, she reminded herself as she tightened the drawstrings of her grey sweatpants. She glanced around the steamy locker-room, conscious of the freshly showered women who obviously grew up in naked houses. They looked so free and confident in their bodies and here she was, waiting for the room to empty out so that she could take a shower. It was still crowded, noisy, this was rush hour. Bonnie found an empty seat on a bench where she could remove her sneakers.

"Did you hear?" a blonde said in hushed tones as she leaned over to a redhead and Bonnie's ears immediately pricked up. She was never one for office politics but something made her listen.

"Apparently Klaus Mikaelson is in town to help Hayley streamline the business" the blonde noted, digging into her purse for a tube of lipstick.

"You know what that means, layoffs" the other girl blew a tendril off her face while she slipped into a draped asymmetrical blouse and black pumps that added inches to her tall frame.

"Oh come on, don't be so negative" her friend argued and although Bonnie tried very hard, she couldn't place them in any of the departments at the paper. They probably worked on the fourteenth floor otherwise known as Moda magazine. She couldn't comprehend why they would be bothered about the office politics of the newspaper until she remembered that the paper owned Moda magazine.

"Klaus Mikaelson is the director of operations for a newspaper owned by his family. He has the mandate to do whatever he likes and I hear he's a ballbuster" the blonde picked up her brush and ran it through her hair, her eyes fixed on her friend. "We would've been better off if Elijah had come down, he's more diplomatic"

Her redhead friend waved off her assumptions with her hand and squealed, "Did you see that younger one, the prodigal son?"

"Kol Mikaelson? Hmm, he's as hot as fuck and smells like sin" her blue eyes dazzled immediately and Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"The things I'd like to do to him" they continued, their office gossip now centered around the hedonistic Kol Mikaelson whom she'd had the pleasure of kissing, in a bathroom stall at Daniel's no less. She cleared her throat, unable to stomach anymore of their conversation. Her heart was pounding under the cool cotton of her white tank top, the damp fabric sticking to her shoulder blades. She tried to shake off the memory of that kiss but everytime she closed her eyes, he was there breathing against the nape of her neck.

She needed to get it together because the last thing she wanted was to become tangled up in some office scandal.

..

"How's our resident sexpert doing this morning?"

Bonnie glanced up from her laptop to find Damon Salvatore leaning against the grey felt of her cubicle.

"Salvatore" she hissed, her eyes following him as he strolled into her cubicle, "What do you want?"

"I read your new article, steamy stuff. It might make people think you know what you're talking about" he cocked his head and folded his arms. Sitting back in her chair, she watched him through a fringe of eyelashes and waited for him to finish.

"See, that's why _I'm_ the relationship expert, I'm a qualified psychologist" he said and she pursed her lips, "what are you, some wet behind the ears bumpkin from Nebraska?"

"West Virginia, actually" Bonnie corrected him. Her article must've been better than she had imagined if the likes of Damon Salvatore were raining on her parade.

"You're such a bottom feeding Neanderthal" she said, hands clasped together as her eyes roamed over his trying too-hard-suit.

"I hear congratulations are in order" Katherine popped her head through the entrance and waved a bottle of champagne in her hand.

"Apparently your article is so good; it has Hayley soaking her panties" her brunette friend laughed and plunked the bottle on top of her desk, right next to the bouquet of wilting roses she'd bought to perk herself after the Kol Mikaelson disaster.

"Thank you, "Bonnie smiled, more than a little pleased with the reviews.

"Where did you steal the bubbly?" she asked pulling her drawer open and plucking out two paper cups which clearly excluded Damon.

"Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies" Katherine's eyes lit up as she popped the champagne, silently and efficiently like a true party girl. She wrote a column for the entertainment section on the newspaper which meant that she had the golden key to most exclusive venues in Manhattan. Bonnie watched as she poured the alcohol into their paper cups, Damon craning his neck behind Katherine. He cleared his throat as the girls lifted the glasses.

"What's the matter Damon, thirsty?" Bonnie cocked an eyebrow, dipping her finger in the champagne before bringing it to her mouth. With a snort, he left and let the two of them giggling like school girls.

"To another titillating article!" Katherine raised her glass to toast Bonnie.

"Here, here" she smiled and took a big sip. Drinking champagne during office hours was becoming quite a habit and she wasn't complaining.

"I had the most amazing night ever!" Kat quickly squealed and Bonnie smiled trying to psych herself up for another of Katherine's adventurous stories. Katherine was her confident friend, the thrill seeker with a blurred moral code who happened to like dating Wall Street types. Bonnie wished she could be as uninhibited as Katherine, maybe then she'd have the guts to actually do something about Kol.

"There's a saints and sinners party at R.I.P this Thursday" she said as she made her way toward the exit leaving the rest of the champagne with Bonnie.

"What's R.I.P?"

"It's a club where morals go to die" she replied and Bonnie rolled her eyes at the obvious cliché.

"I have three tickets" Katherine yelled over the mini walls of cubicles.

"Count me in" Bonnie shouted back over a chorus of ringing telephones, computers and noisy fax machines. Maybe a party would do her some good, she thought as she leaned back against her chair. Perhaps, she'd even find some inspiration for her next article. She eyed the opened bubbly again and slipped a spoon inside it. She hoped that it would keep until home time but she had her doubts.

..

Caroline was never one to spend a work night at a boyfriend's place but Bonnie figured that since Tyler stayed in Brooklyn, the blonde would've been too weary to take a cab all the way to the East Village. She dragged a manicured finger down the post it note that Caroline had left then swung the refrigerator door open to chill the champagne. She was in the process of thumbing through a takeout menu when the intercom buzzed, jerking her awake. Checking the time on the microwave, she hesitated toward the door and picked up the phone.

"Yeah?"

"Bonnie, it's me" a male voice drawled in her ear with a distinct English brogue and her pulse started up but she suppressed the anxiety in her voice.

"Who, James Bond?" she tried to sound flirtatious as heat rushed to her face.

"Is this a game we're playing, like the spy who shagged you?"

"No, more like Gold finger"

He chuckled and her cheeks flushed, happy to see she had an effect on him. "Open up, please" he said and immediately ignited a spark in her groin.

"I might get mugged down here" he protested and Bonnie giggled.

"It's the East Village, the worst they could do is drag you to a party" sighing, she unraveled her ponytail and dragged a finger along the front of her teeth.

"Let me in, sweetheart" he begged again and she groaned, picturing his dazzling smile. Swiping a tongue along her lower lip, she drummed her fingers on the wall next to the intercom and then as her heart shot to her throat, pushed the button to open the gate downstairs. She took a deep breath, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear then leaned against the door.

Slowly she unlatched the three locks on her door and pressed her forehead against its wood before stepping back. When the door swung open, she caught her breath, her eyes colliding with his.

"You look gorgeous" Kol said moving towards her.

"Thank you" she replied under her breath. His gaze slid down her body and she followed his eyes. Silently, she groaned when she realized that she was wearing an old pair of yoga pants and a tattered Guns n Roses tee-shirt.

"I brought you a gift" he gestured to the Hermes shopping bag in his right hand.

"Seems I've been getting plenty of those today" she shrugged but her eyes were already trained to the package, her mind reeling as to what it contained. As if reading her thoughts, Kol pulled out an Aztec motif printed scarf and handed it to her. While she was still entranced by the glorious silk of her new scarf, he placed another horse print scarf in her hand, then dozens of canary yellow chiffons and nautical print scarfs. Finally, he draped her old scarf around her neck, then held her there and stroked the underside of her jaw.

"You…uhm…thank you"

"Anytime" he dragged his finger down the curve of her neck, to the hollow between her collarbones.

"I'm not going to fuck you" he suddenly confessed, breathing against her neck and a ripple tingled up her spine and made her skin shiver.

"Not yet, "When his lips grazed the spot between her neck and her earlobe, she emitted a strangled moan and it took all her strength to give him a gentle push.

"Right, you're just gonna mind-fuck me until I learn to like it" she brushed her hair off her face and gave him a pointed look.

"Is that what you think this is?" his look was set between confusion and amusement. Rapidly moving away from him, Bonnie glanced back and asked,

"Isn't it?"

"No" one corner of his lips edged upwards and she smiled against her better judgement.

"What do you want from me Kol?" she asked, placing the scarves on a nearby couch.

He crowded toward her again and cradled the back of her neck with both hands, "I thought we'd already established that"

"The thing about casual sex is that it has to please both parties" she raised her chin an inch and gazed deeply into his golden brown eyes.

"Is that in the rule book?" he looked amused with her pedantic nature and Bonnie bucked up, a smile spreading her lips.

"It's in my rule book" she said, the overhead light dancing in his eyes making her breath hitch. Kol's fingers grazed over her chin, his thumb running across his lower lip and his gaze intent.

"Would you like to fuck me?" he asked, parting her lips ever so gently, the action tightening her chest.

"Does the thought of me inside you make you wet?" he murmured and slowly his fingers traced neck, trailing down to the swell of her breasts. "Me…hard, throbbing…deep inside your wet…"

Bonnie gasped when his hands skimmed her waist, the slipped under her tee-shirt and made her shiver, "Does the thought of me thrusting …pushing, plunging inside you…does it make you wanna cum?"

Feathering over her rib cage, his fingertips traced a line back to her breasts where they fingered her bra, "You should come out with me" he whispered in her ear, "Come have lunch with me"

"Come have drinks with me" his teeth tugged at her earlobe while he rolled her hardened nipples between his fingers, and she felt her legs give way "Come with me, Bonnie"

When he felt her body respond, he paused to rest his forehead against hers. She heard him breathe as if he was recollecting himself and then he drew back and smiled,

"Come, adventure waits" he said, stretching out his hand for her.

"Where're we going?" she stammered, her pulse still erratic. Her eyes darted from him and back to her ratty tee-shirt.

"Change clothes and meet me downstairs" he told her and shut the door behind him.

..

After carefully considering the odds of staying at home for another evening as opposed to a night out with a gorgeous English man, she found herself in a Soho nightclub with Kol.

They were seated inside a caged VIP area, lounging back on white pleather banquettes and sipping on Veuve Clicquot. Bonnie' eyes kept flicking up to the gilded mirrors and the twinkling chandeliers looming above them. The DJ was spinning some energetic house tracks and a spirited crowd was dancing inside a sunken dance floor, crowned with a glittering disco ball.

"What's your name?" Kol's voice jolted her awake. A tall brunette was seated across the mini table, chewing on a swizzle stick.

"Sophie Deveraux" she purred, directing her eyes to Kol.

"Sophie, this is Liz and my name is John" Kol placed a hand over Bonnie's knee and she gave him a nervous smile over the rim of her champagne glass.

"Where are you guys from?" she leaned closer, her eyes flitting to Bonnie.

"Do you know how to ruin a party, Sophie?"

She shook her head, her gaze sparking between him and Bonnie.

"By breaking anonymity" Kol told her before turning his attention back to Bonnie. He stroked her cheek, his gaze dancing on her face and addressed Sophie again even though he didn't turn to look at her,

"Why don't you dance with Liz?" he asked and Bonnie's pulse hastened. She already knew what he was thinking and the thought intrigued her.

"You won't be joining us?" Sophie asked, somewhat hurt by this revelation. Rising to her feet, Bonnie offered her an outstretched hand and smiled.

"He likes to watch" she told her and glanced back at Kol who nodded, raising his glass to toast them.

"I like to watch" he repeated as the girls ventured down to the dance floor.

Bonnie knew he was watching as they pushed past the crowds, strangers' elbows digging into her ribs, and the swell of the mob pushing them to the centre of the dance floor.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Sophie asked, throwing her arms around Bonnie's neck.

"Uhm…yes" she lied because she didn't want her setting her sights on Kol. They moved to the music, silently starring at each other as the champagne gave Bonnie liquid courage. Sophie's hands skimmed Bonnie's waist, slid around to the small of her back and drew her closer.

"You're beautiful" she told Bonnie and then pushed her hair off her face.

"Thank you" her voice trembled, lower lip snared between her teeth but she didn't stop moving her hips.

"I think your boyfriend really _is_ watching"

"I think he wants you to kiss me" her confession startled her and she could tell it amused Sophie.

"Do _you_ want to kiss me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't kiss me because you think it's what he wants, kiss me because _you_ want to" Sophie held her chin and Bonnie's gaze slid down to the other girls mouth. With the tip of her tongue, she moistened her lips and leaned closer to Sophie. She was petrified but a part of her wanted to experience this freedom, this free-fall and the need to kiss this stranger increased exponentially.

" _I_ want to kiss you" she whispered, the tip of her nose grazing the girl's nose. Before she could rethink her decision and with a swelling crowd of dances around them, Sophie kissed her. Her kiss was soft and warm, almost lazy as she stroked slow fingers through Bonnie's hair.

When they eventually broke the kiss, Bonnie's eyes flickered up to the VIP cage where Kol had been watching. He was still there, a curious smile on his face as he raised his glass.


	7. Blurred Lines

_**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews my lovelies!**_

Bonnie sniffed the air as the town car pulled up outside a restaurant in Chinatown. The smell of raw fish permeated the air and coconut stir fries from Thai food trucks lining the area filled her nostrils. Her eyes wandered from the rush of yellow taxis, past the red lanterns to the pulsating lights of the neighborhood.

Kol ushered her into a secret tunnel lined with bamboo and Buddha statues, his hand warm against her lower back. They walked past walled tanks with live jellyfish, servers carrying live octopuses to be served sentient. Kol called it Sannakaji, a delicacy in Korea. Bonnie figured it either took great stupidity or great courage to eat a live, wriggling octopus with the hopes that it wouldn't strangle you. The restaurant looked like an opium den with its red chandeliers and burgundy silk drapes. As she slid into a corner booth behind heavy drapes with Kol, she felt like she had time travelled to a distant era. After ordering sake for them, he left the table and disappeared for a few minutes, only to resurface again with a glass bong.

"What are you doing?" her eyes widened as water gurgled inside his pipe.

"I'm smoking pot" he shrugged, holding a lighter to the grains in the bowl and taking a long pull. She observed as the cylinder filled with milky-white smoke while he inhaled.

"You're not worried about-"she gestured with her thumb, scanning the crowd.

"People are more liberated in here" he placed his palm over the mouthpiece, head titled back, "You do your business, you pay and you depart" he grinned, a lazy smile than left her feeling butterflies.

"No muss no fuss" she casually cleared her throat as he handed the bong over to her.

"Go on, I promise it's not lazy pot and no bad trips either" he chuckled and motioned to the pipe. He beckoned one of the servers while Bonnie put her mouth over the hollow of the cylinder. Kol ordered an early breakfast because at two in the morning, it was too late to be considered dinner and she took her first hit since college. Her head swam after the first pull and the high from the cocktails at the club came back tenfold. She viewed from a smoky haze as the server brought piping hot dim-sum to their table and two additional bottles of sake.

"Did you enjoy her?" Kol's eyes glittered when he swung a gaze at her. A flush mounted her cheeks and she purposely played with her crab dumplings, picking one up and dunking it in soy sauce.

"Yes" she replied hoarsely, the dumpling glistening under lusciously red light.

"Why?" Kol's eyes stayed on her, unwavering and intrigued.

"Call it sexual liberation" she told him then slipped a soy drenched morsel into her mouth. Kol inched closer, his eyes hooded under the slanting light and her pulse hastened.

"Did she make you wet?" His voice was thick with lust, its tremble slicing right into her groin and when she lifted her eyes, they drove into his.

"No. Knowing _you_ were watching made me wet" her eyes dragged down to his lips, "Did you enjoy watching us?" she asked as she tried to steady her shaky voice.

"I enjoyed watching _you_ " he smiled then touched his lips to the rim of his shot glass. She felt utterly naked under his gaze but her body hummed to the heat in his eyes. Her pulse hastened as her body lusted for him to command her beyond pleasure and pain. When Kol finally broke his gaze, she hissed an exhale. Lowering her eyes to her glass once more, she took a slow sip. The sake smelled like flowers, its sweetness exploding in her mouth "What do you do?" she asked him.

"Why?" he asked, snapping his chopsticks apart, "Does what I do define who I am?"

"No" she quickly protested.

"Then why do you ask?"

"I'm just trying to make conversation. Talking about the color of my panties everytime we get together is getting old"

"I don't do anything" he grinned and took another lazy pull from the pipe, "My family owns a bunch of…stuff…but you already knew that"

"Publications" she said.

"So I've been told. I'm usually too busy fucking and travelling" his smile widened, baiting her.

"And you're not involved in the family business?"

"I have baggage" he rasped and she could see that he wanted to quickly abandon the topic.

"Good for you, would you like a tee-shirt?" Bonnie vaulted an eyebrow at him. She was getting rather tired of Kol Mikaelson the whiner. Yes, it was another side to Kol the billionaire playboy but there had to be more to him than this two dimensional person.

"I like you. You're funny and flawed." He told her after swallowing a piece of prawn dumpling.

"I'm a disaster" Bonnie shook her head, yanked the bong out of his hands and coughed a truckload after a hard pull.

"Sometimes I want to forget myself" she confessed as she rested her head against her seat.

"New York is no place to reinvent yourself. You can always go to Rio or Paris to find yourself, I would suggest Rio" he laughed and drained the last of their sake, "Better yet, Bangkok"

"Bangkok?" Bonnie's eyes sparked and she lifted her head to look at him.

"It's amazing; it's a simmering orgy of everything extraordinary" he explained, "I might take you there one day" he promised and she genuinely believed him.

-oOo-

The next day, she had a hangover from the deep depths of hell. Bonnie arched her back and rubbed the back of her neck. She placed two fingers on her temples, massaged the throbbing nerves and indented the skin in the process. She promised she would never touch liquor again if only her headache would go away. No one listened and the throbbing continued. All she wanted was to get home, get back into bed and to drag the covers over her head. Of course that was impossible because Hayley Marshal detested sick days like she detested fake Chanel totes.

"You're on page six!" Katherine barged into her cubicle and plonked herself down on her desk.

"What?" Bonnie shook her head, still attempting to shake the pain off.

"Heir to the Mikaelson media dynasty, Kol Mikaelson spotted in SoHo with socialite Sophia Deveraux and a mystery woman" Katherine read off her tablet then shot Bonnie a suspicious look.

"There's nothing to explain, it wasn't me"

"Funny because she has your hair, your legs, that dress you bought at Saks last Christmas and oh yes, your face!" she pushed the tablet towards Bonnie whose eyes grew into saucers when she saw the pictures. Sure enough, she was there with Kol's arm draped around her shoulder in one picture while the next picture showed her lip lock with Sophie. The pictures were dim but anyone who knew her would know that the mystery woman was none other than Bonnie Bennett.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Katherine frowned, looking hurt and confused.

"Tell you what?"

"That you're involved in some polygamous relationship with Kol Mikaelson and Sophie Deveraux"

"And you're actually saying this with a straight face?" Her thumbs flew to knead her temples again. The least Katherine could have done was to serve her a fresh cup of coffee instead of an interrogation.

"We used to be friends. You used to tell me things" the brunette wailed, pouting her mouth at Bonnie.

"Listen, there's nothing to tell. Kol is an assignment"

"An assignment?"

"We met on this online sex thing for literary purposes"

"I had no idea you were a method writer" she smirked, drumming her red nails on the screen of the tablet.

"It's a new thing I'm trying out"

"Kol Mikaelson is a catch"

"And I'm fishing for sport, so is he by the way"

"A rich prick is far better than a poor one"

"Can I put that on a mug or something?"

"You _should_ date him"

"I _should_ do my taxes too but here I am talking to you" Bonnie shut her eyes as another wave of nausea hit her. Finally getting the hint, Katherine made her way toward the exit then flung one last look at a blanched Bonnie.

"You should bring him to the saints and sinners party" Katherine told her with a big, glowing smile.

"Don't push it"

-oOo-

Wednesday afternoon, she found herself inside an Upper East Side apartment with ten-foot ceilings and too much sunlight. It was a work thing and she had purposely dragged her three best friends along with her. Katherine could book the afternoon off as a work thing since she wrote the entertainment column at the paper, Caroline wrote a fashion blog and received good money from advertisers and Matt called in a late lunch with a client.

A server carrying a tray of chocolate dipped strawberry's brushed past Bonnie and she swiped a piece from the tray.

"This is the rampant rabbit" the facilitator of the event addressed the group of women who stood in clumps facing the front of the room. Bonnie blinked at the pink vibrator on display and her stomach fluttered when she thought about Kol's member. She wondered what it looked like, how it curved, what it would feel like in her mouth and what it tasted like. Feeling a warm flush sparking her cheeks, she dropped her head and shielded her eyes from the gleaming yellow sunlight spilling into the room.

"Oh look it comes with a USB charger" Caroline cried beside her, her eyes lighting up.

"I hear you kissed a girl and you liked it" Matt's voice rang in her ear and Bonnie groaned.

"You gotta have better material than that. I thought you gays were supposed to be witty" she scoffed, taking a large sip of champagne from her crystal flute.

"I'm more interested in your tryst with that insanely hot English hunk than the lipstick-dyke" he drawled, twirling the stem of his glass between his fingers, "I trust a good time was had by all?"

"Stop fishing" she warned, clenching her teeth.

"Spoil sport" he hissed and rolled his blue eyes.

"The superior silicone coating makes it super quiet and the rabbit ears are great for button stimulation" the facilitator continued and the group sustained their bad listening skills as phones went off over hushed conversation and stifled giggles.

"Button stimulation?" Caroline whispered against Bonnie's ear.

"She means clit stimulation" Katherine replied for Bonnie.

"The Lelo Mona Wave is perfect for G spot stimulation" the speaker's voice boomed, obviously attempting to drown out the rising noise from the group, "this is a womanizer, great for clit suction and its remote controlled through smartphones and even computers"

"See, now you don't have to trample down to Brooklyn every night. Tyler can stimulate you with just the touch of a button on his smartphone." Bonnie nudged Caroline with her elbow.

"I enjoy my midnight trysts in Brooklyn and no machine can ever replace the warmth of a man" the blonde simply said even though her eyes were studying the vibrators with keen interest.

"Spoken like a true novice" Bonnie retorted.

"Has she told you that she's bumping uglies with the boss?" Katherine smiled with mischief and Caroline jerked her head up, her eyes sparking between Katherine and Bonnie.

"You're using sex euphuisms while you're holding a big raging dildo?" Matt smirked, rolling his eyes skyward.

"Hey, as long as she's calling our clits Benjamin's buttons" Katherine snorted and the friends broke into stifled giggles much to the facilitator's annoyance.

-oOo-

That evening she decided to make use of the champagne buzz and called Kol.

"So I'm finally exercising my right to call you" she smiled, flicking the top corner of his business card. Splayed on her bed, she could hear the TV behind her bedroom door. Caroline was parked on the couch consuming copious amounts of pepperoni pizza.

"What are you wearing, sweetheart?" his voice was low and husky, sending a shiver down her spine but she refused to play this game tonight.

"This is not that kind of phone call" she purred, her eyes flicking to her cotton panties dotted with little hearts, "I see I made page six" she said.

"Wildly exciting isn't it?" his voice felt like fingers gliding down her quivering abdomen.

"Wildly intrusive" she corrected and then quickly asked, "What are you doing?"

"Reading your column"

"You are?" she jerked up, propping herself up by her elbow.

"Yeah, I think it's… interesting" he said casually even though her heart was galloping inside her chest, "What are you writing about this week?"

"I don't know, sex toys, sex and New York sidewalks?" she smiled, her mind reeling. Kol Mikaelson was reading _her_ column; Kol Mikaelson was interested in something _she_ wrote.

"Maybe I could be your muse?" he chuckled and she plopped her head back on the pillow and sighed.

"There's…uhm… a thing this Thursday" she cleared her throat and waited for him to respond.

"A thing?"

"A sinners and saints party at this club. I thought if you're not busy…"

"I might swing by" he said casually but her heart pushed against her chest at this notion.

"Great" she replied, not bothering to hide her smile.

-oOo-

That Thursday, she stood in the middle of Kol's bedroom, her hands clasped in front of her. A soft glow of sunlight pooled into the room and toyed with his unruly hair. Her heart did a little cartwheel again when their eyes met.

"Do you fancy it?" he gestured to the black tuxedo on display. He picked up a bow-tie and signaled her to come closer to him.

"Ok, I'm intrigued" she said, obeying his command. Moving around her, he dragged the straps over dress down her arms, all the while watching her face in the mirror. Bonnie gasped as his fingers brushed against her skin. He exposed her breasts, moaning against her ear. Pushing her hair over one shoulder with one hand, he quested down her body with the other.

"You have marvelous tits" his lips stroked down the nape of her quivering neck as he pulled her dress up her legs. She inhaled, twisting her head to the side so that her eyes could look into his and not at her inadequacy in the mirror any longer. Sliding his fingers to her throat, he turned her neck to the mirror again and forced her to really look at herself.

"You're beautiful" with one snap, her dress slid off the body to pool on the floor at her feet. Clad in nothing but black lacey panties, he stepped back to take all of her in. Bonnie watched from the mirror as he picked up a white dress shirt. Silently, he eased her into it, his eyes locked with hers in the mirror. Then he helped her into a pair of black tuxedo pants, dragging up the zipper slowly, and his eyes never leaving hers. Every movement he made, every breath he exhaled seemed to flicker across her nipples and his hands finally danced up to buttoned her up, she arched herself into his chest. Wordlessly, Kol smoothed the shirt tails into her tuxedo pants, a flicker of lust exchanged between the two of them when his hand brushed across her mound. Before she could whimper or utter another sound, he moved around her and slipped the bow-tie around her neck.

"Do you like it?" The base of his voice made her groin throb but she took in the ensemble in the mirror and smiled.

"I look like a man" she chuckled.

"I didn't ask what you looked like; I asked you if you like it"

Squaring her shoulders and with a glint in her eyes, she replied "Yes I like it"

"Why do you like?" he asked and his voice made everything around her pulse.

"It makes me feel empowered, like I've slipped into someone else's skin. "She said, looking at him in the mirror and then softly added, "…Someone braver than me"

Kol traced a line along her chin with his finger and angled it up, "You should never let anyone define you" he told her before kissing her mouth.

-oOo-

"Nice atmosphere" Kol commented, his eyes swinging up to the acrobatic performers swinging from the ceiling. The party was in full swing with saints wearing white with sprinklings of feathery wings here and there and the sinners were clad in blood red costumes or deviant black. It took them some time but they finally found her friends in some smoky VIP section in the basement which Matt called hell. Caroline was the only saint caught in hell it seemed but the bottom level of the party soon filled up with more winged saints. It seemed as though Hades' underworld was more fun.

-oOo-

Nestled below a flight of metal stairs, Bonnie threw her arms around Kol's neck and kissed him. Her kisses had long grown into needy explorations of his mouth. She was greedy, hungry but he matched her stroke for stroke, bite for bite. Her fingers tangled into his silky hair, nails scraping his scalp, hands fisting the collar of his shirt until she felt his pulse inside the walls of her chest. She wanted him, all of him and she didn't care that they were out on the open, didn't care about the garbage cans in the alley nor did she care about the fact that anybody could walk in on them.

When he tore his mouth free from hers, Bonnie bounced back like a cat to claw back at him. She hadn't had enough of him yet and she wasn't about to let him escape so easily. Kol pushed her back again, pinned her restless hands against the wall while she tried to press her hips against him. With one hand, he ripped her tuxedo-shirt tails free from her waistband, unzipped her pants and slid a hand inside to feel the silky lace of her panties. When his fingers quested into her depths, she stopped fighting him but rather arched her back, emitting a long satisfied moan.

Lifting up the bottom of her shirt, Kol trailed his tongue down her shuddering abdomen and she closed her eyes. When he dragged her panties down her hips, she stopped breathing. Her body was alert to his tongue, the warm feel of it against her heated flesh, the moisture of it as it traced past her navel and the smell of him, tequila and bourbon. Once he reached her mound, she lost all thought or reason. Nothing existed; nothing mattered but Kol and his lyrical tongue.

"Right there, right there…"she moaned as he buried himself between her legs. She was sure that to a passerby they looked like two men relishing each other in dark and flthy alley.

Coarse bricks dug into her back and she didn't care. She rocked her hips against his mouth and Kol deepened the kiss, twirling his tongue around her clit. Her mind began to spin, knees weakening as he alternated between sucking, licking and twirling his tongue. When she planted a hand to the back of his head, her breath coming hard, Kol knew she was ready. There, amidst the blaring horns and shimmering blue lights of a dank, dark alley, Bonnie released her third orgasm with him.


	8. The Power of the Hamptons

If Bonnie was his Alice, he wondered, did that make him the mad hatter or her white rabbit.

Kol preferred the latter.

He could still taste her in his mouth when he woke up the following day. He liked the way she'd cried out his name when she came in his mouth last night, excited by the way she'd moaned as he lapped up her juices…right down to the last drop. He'd been thrilled by the way she'd arched her back to him, the way she'd clawed his back in a frantic frenzy when she climaxed. The first time he met her she had reminded him of Hina, the classical cellist he'd dated while he was in Japan. Like Hina, Bonnie had seemed shy and inhibited but underneath all that restraint was an unbridled passion he longed to savor. At Daniel's the satisfied expression on her face had jogged his mind back to Parisian Aubrey, the fashion buyer with wild red hair and come-fuck-me heels but last night, her primal exhibitionism reminded him of Raquel, the sculptor from Argentina. It had never been about sex with any of the women he had been with; it was about the thrill of discovering a stranger, a stranger who would then love him with everything in her. It had always been about the human connection which was a very human condition.

In New York, Bonnie was fast becoming his human connection.

Kol swung his feet to the floor and dragged a hand down his face. He was tired but not hiking-up Mount-Kilimanjaro-tired or even trekking through the Amazon tired but perhaps he wasn't as young as he used to be. In three months he was going to be twenty nine years old and to him that was a milestone. Staggering to his adjoining bathroom suite, he opened the seamless glass doors and stepped inside the shower. After twisting the crystal knobs, he allowed a spray of warm water to pound against his tan flesh. The water felt like rain striking his body and he groaned at the glorious onslaught. By the time he stepped out of the shower, he felt more relaxed. When he tilted his head, he had to clench his eyes shut against the tormenting sunlight from the skylight. Snatching a towel from a silver railing, he toweled himself off, rubbing his hair vigorously. He stared at his face in the mirror for a moment, one hand scrubbing his stubble. He looked rugged, like a mountain man who'd just rolled out of bed. He chuckled thinking how much Elijah would loath it if he were to show up at Monday's meeting with this just rolled out of bed look.

It was a scorching morning in Manhattan and he was fast considering a trip to SoHo House, the exclusive New York club with a refreshing rooftop pool.

After dressing up in a cool navy Tom Ford tee-shirt, he went to the lounge to get a drink and ring Alfred, his driver. He had just hung up the phone when he heard the ping of the elevator. Kol turned around and slapped a hand across his face. The minute Klaus stepped off the elevator; he knew that his day had gone to shit. His brother was here to discuss more pressing matters than which cocktail to order at the SoHo bar.

"Klaus, to what do I owe the pleasure?" He smiled, setting a crystal decanter back on the counter.

"You have to start taking some responsibility, brother" Klaus said, advancing toward him. He was dressed in a dark suit, sans tie but to Kol it still looked ridiculously boring and tiresome.

"Where's the fun in that?" Kol rolled his eyes, moving aside as Klaus seized an empty whiskey glass.

"Aren't you weary of being the old Mikaelson lush?" Klaus raised an eyebrow and Kol sighed as he made his way to the wall of windows overlooking the Hudson.

"No, can't say that I am" he replied over his shoulder as he scanned the city from his spectacular vantage point.

"You should be" Klaus slipped a hand into his pocket, the other idly twirling his fresh glass of whiskey.

"You know I can't seem to recall whether your ex-wife called me an old lush when I was fucking her last Christmas" Kol pivotedand flashed his boyish grin at his older brother.

"Aah Camille, I love how she looks post-orgasm, don't you?" Kol 's smile broadened, thinking back to that night when he'd disempowered Klaus by his sleeping with Camille, better known as an extension on Klaus's narcissism. Klaus didn't date women, he never bothered to know them or fall in love with them. To him they were all just beautiful props; Hayley Marshall had been the latest trophy, something to look good on his arm.

"Touche" Klaus nodded, a sardonic smile spreading across his lips, "I have your best interest at heart, brother" he said and took another sip of whiskey. They glared at each other for what felt like ages before Klaus cleared his throat,

"Look, you'll be set up in a nice corner office, a descent suit and a good salary. You'll be feeling like a million pounds before you know it" he said in an animated manner which only served to infuriate Kol more.

"Not interested" Kol hissed through gritted teeth.

"You'll be working with a bevy of beautiful women and-"Klaus expanded and then paused, "you know I'm not going to try and sell this job to you because frankly speaking, it's your last chance. This position is your life-jacket."

"And If I don't take it?" Kol took another swig from his drink, "What, daddy revokes my trust fund or something?" he chuckled tearing his gaze away from his glass to look at his brother.

"What's going on with you and Hayley's assistant?" Klaus blurted instead. Catching Kol off-guard.

"Who's Hayley's assistant?" he cleared his throat, turning around so he give Klaus his back.

"The hot brunette with the green eyes, the one we lunched with at Daniels" Klaus explained, undeterred.

"Oh…Bonnie, what about her?" Kol frowned, pulse quickening.

"What are you doing with her?"

"Nothing"

"Kol…" Klaus warned and peered at him, "Hayley mentioned something about you, Bonnie and page six"

"She's writing a sex thesis and I'm assisting her" Kol said, his heart beat speeding in line with his lie.

"Careful brother, it's not wise to fraternize with the help"

"I'm not consorting with the _help_ ; I'm barely even fucking the help." Kol mumbled, glaring into the amber liquid inside his glass.

'It would be wise to heed my counsel" Klaus smiled over the rim of his glass and heat rushed through Kol like fire.

"Careful, you're starting to sound like Elijah" he said, lifting his glass again.

"Look over the job spec; you have until Monday to make a decision" Klaus advised as he set his unfinished glass back on the bar. He flung a file toward Kol and it landed on an armless chair in front of him.

-oOo-

Friday, they had a rooftop brunch at a quirky Mexican place that overlooked the glittering Empire State building, if you craned you neck at just the right angle.

"His name is probably something moronic like Dwight or something" Katherine pointed her chin at an obvious tourist taking selfies with his cellphone. She fanned herself with a napkin, the high altitude of the restaurant not quite helping with the sweltering summer morning. Bonnie reckoned that they were in for a searing hot weekend and she was beginning to rethink her decision to order a spicy posole soup but she needed the chili to quell her hangover. She leaned back in her chair and allowed the waiter to place a cool glass of cranberry juice in front of her. It was chockfull of crushed ice, just the way she liked it.

"So I may have jerked off to your new boyfriend last night. He gave me a huge lady boner at that party" Katherine moaned, taking a bite from her fried tortilla. Her face morphed into ecstasy with each swallow. She was wearing raven black today because it was oh so very New York.

"He's not my boyfriend" Bonnie slanted her head forward, gathered her hair in her hands and tied it into a tight knot on top of her head. She schooled her face into nonchalance as her friends observed her, narrowed eyes looking for cracks in her resolve.

"Right, he's your fuck buddy" Caroline offered as she rubbed the back of her neck then slurped her iced tea from a straw. They were all tired and practically melting over the table.

"Well, the consensus is that we like your non-boyfriend" Matt smiled, raising a glass of ice water with a twist of lemon to his lips.

"Nice scarf" Katherine reached out to feel the smooth fabric, her narrowed eyes studying the Aztec print.

"Thank you" Bonnie simply mumbled and tried to avert her curious gaze.

"Since when do you afford such nice scarves?" Katherine pressed and Bonnie swore under her breath.

"Oh my, it's from _him_ isn't it? "Suddenly Katherine's eyes sparked and she slapped the table with both hands.

"Mr. Moneybags is already buying you gifts?" Caroline's eyes lifted to Bonnie's face and she swallowed hard.

"You know what this means right, you're fucking him" Matt laughed, wrapping arm around Bonnie who's groan deepened. She was in hell; her friends would never let this go.

"I'm not screwing him" she defended herself and kept her eyes on Caroline because seemingly that's where most of the judgment was coming from.

"Yet" Matt emitted a delicious moan as he swirled his glass.

"You're so lucky, I love men with money. Money gives financial power and power attracts women" Katherine placed her elbows on the table, her fingers tightening around her champagne glass.

"No, money attracts women" Caroline scoffed, one eyebrow still lifted at Bonnie.

"Some women" Bonnie corrected, meeting Caroline's glare head on. Caroline's palm-tree print cropped shirt was starting to give her a headache.

"Most women" the blonde made a comeback and Bonnie inhaled sharply.

"You wouldn't get it but power is very sexy" Katherine purred, oblivious to the tension around the table.

"How's Markos?" Matt managed to redirect the conversation and Bonnie gave him a silent thank you.

"Blurgh, that cultural parasite?" Katherine made a face and sipped her champagne. Caroline opened her mouth to say something but Matt cut her off with more questions directed at Katherine.

When they went back to their respective jobs, she wondered what Caroline's deal was but decided to brush it off. She settled into her office chair and continued her morning but she knew that she was experiencing the first signs of an obsession when she spent about an hour of company time not researching the latest kinks or vibrators on the market but rather researching the Mikaelson clan, namely Kol Mikaelson.

-oOo-

Later that evening after avoiding Caroline and holing up in her bedroom, her mobile rang and exuberant smile flashed across her face when she realized that it was Kol.

"What are you doing this weekend?" he asked.

"Uhm…nothing" she replied after much hesitation.

"Then come away with me" he suggested and a long drawn out breath escaped her pursed lips. Stay calm, she advised herself as her head whirled with what Kol had just proposed.

"Are we eloping or something?" she asked playfully, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow morning" he said smoothly and a knot tightened in her gut.

As soon as she hung up on Kol, she barged into Caroline's bedroom and told her the great news.

"You said yes?" the blonde shrieked, bolting up from her pile of silk pillows. She tossed her book aside and blinked at Bonnie, her blue eyes shooting fire.

"Duh, it would so suck if I said no to the possibility of hot sex with this guy" Bonnie admitted, hands fixed to her hips to try and assert her dominance.

"But he's your fuck buddy. You don't do a weekend away with your fuck buddy" Caroline cautioned and swiped a hand through her bed-hair. Bonnie crept closer and sat down on the edge of her friend's bed.

"Why not?" she asked, picking at Caroline's duvet.

"It's a no-strings-attached relationship and therefore, no strings. A weekend away together is serious strings "Caroline huffed and Bonnie gave her a bashful glance before taking in a deep breath.

"Fine, then I choose to implement a no rules thing with him" she confessed and waited for Caroline to say something.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea? This guy sounds like bad news "Caroline frowned and shook her head as the tendrils over her shoulders shook at the gesture.

"You don't even know him, Care" Bonnie stretched out her hand and patted Caroline's foot over the duvet.

"I know his type."

"I can handle it" she assured her friend and hoped that she'd lay the matter to rest.

"Famous last words" Caroline scoffed while Bonnie scooted closer to her.

"What happened to you? You used to be the optimistic flower child?" Bonnie grabbed her friend's shoulders and shook her playfully.

"And you used to be the cautious one" Caroline smirked, trying to fight the smile sneaking into her charming face.

"Care, I need this. Just let me have this...please" she smiled, pulling Caroline into a firm hug.

-oOo-

She was a jumble of nerves the following day as she took a shower. She'd hardly slept a wink because all she could think about was spending the weekend with Kol. Squirting a handful of organic blackberry shampoo onto her hand, she rubbed her hair vigorously to wash out the smoke from Thursday's party. She closed her eyes as water ran over her head, trailing down her body. She imagined what it would be like to completely alone with him, not another soul insight as he made love to her. Surely he was going to make love to her, wasn't he? He wouldn't merely drag her all the way to the Hamptons to tease her relentlessly like he had been doing all these weeks. Bonnie imagined that the water was his hands, running down her body, skimming the insides of her thighs.

She bit her lower lip as a quiver tickled down, heat mounting between her thighs. She needed to get out of the shower before she took matters into her own hands.

Stepping out of the shower, she took a towel and wrapped it around her body, then used another towel to squeeze water out of her hair. The white subway tiles were cool under her feet as she brushed her teeth, pausing every so often as he mind drifted to Kol and his yet undisclosed intentions for the weekend. She never dated anymore and took sex whenever it was offered by a delectable candidate. She didn't need a man who was going to hurt her with ridiculous mind games, a man who would make her wait for hours for a phone call that never came. Manhattan men got off on the power of their mind games and Bonnie had learned that casual sex was far better than trying out for love.

She dressed up slowly, choosing an unforgiving lace and mash thong with a matching demi-bra. The dress she picked was hopefully cool enough to avoid melting all the way to the Hamptons but she was sure that his car had ample air conditioning. She selected a white chiffon dress with a caged top and a layered hemline that hit just above her knees. After slipping on her oversized sun-glasses, her phone buzzed with a text from Kol, he was outside. She grabbed her bags and flew down the stairs until she was met by an overwhelming city heat outside.

"Hi" Bonnie waved, taking him in as he leaned against a sleek, black Aston Martin. She swallowed, struck by how devastatingly European he looked. A quick stride brought him closer to her as he took her bag from her hand.

"Miss Bennett, your carriage awaits" he said and her heart beat even faster. She climbed inside the sexy automobile and felt immediately transformed in to the type of female Kol Mikaelson dated.

"Buckle up" Kol gave her a little wink before he started the engine. She leaned into her leather seat and exhaled as he shifted into gear.

"What music do you like?" he asked, motioning to his CD case.

"Got anything with base?" Bonnie laughed, thumbing through his collection. They weaved through traffic, his powerful engine purring before they broke out into a double lane highway. As they left the city behind, her mind cleared as Charles Aznavour sang about sunshine and faraway shores.

"There's a market, not far from the house. It sells the catch of the day, fresh from the sea" Kol motioned when they zipped down a freeway. He would glance at her every so often, sing along to the songs every time she changed the CD and squeeze her thigh everytime he shifted gears. She was starting to like this driving out of town thing with him.

Before she knew it, they were cutting into a gravel road with a small sign hammered on a gnarly tree stump. Kol helped her out of the car and she marveled at the sight of the farmer's market.

Everywhere she looked there were crates of fresh fruits, colorful vegetables, freshly cut flowers and boxes of wine. The air smelled like freshly cut tart apples and everything seemed to sparkle even with the grey sky over them. They walked around, sightseeing and picking out a few items before ending up at a smoothie stall. Kol purchased two smoothies, glancing at her over his shoulder before making the orders.

"I used to love coming here as a kid" he said, handing her a freshly made smoothie. She lifted the tumbler to her lips and when she tasted the strawberry, her taste buds thrilled to the taste. If this was what being healthy tasted like, she wanted more of it.

"When I used to come here, I always ordered the banana flavor" he grinned and gestured to his banana smoothie. Bonnie raised her eyes to his beautiful face and returned his eager, crinkle-eyed smile.

"My mom would drag us here every Sunday. She loved to come up to the Hamptons during the weekends and she loved this market. "He continued to speak as his gaze roamed over the bustling market but she only had eyes for him. Bonnie stared at his profile, his glowing hair and that brilliant smile. Suddenly she wanted to run her hands through his soft, glowing hair but she stopped herself. She focused on what he was saying instead and heard the crack in his voice as he spoke about his mother.

"She used to say she loved the sea and the sun but I think it was mostly to get away from my dad" Kol shrugged, licking his spoon and she tried very hard not to imagine that she was that spoon. Before she could offer her words of wisdom, Kol's brilliant brown eyes were sweeping over her as he draped his arm loosely around her shoulder.

After gathering enough supplies, they continued with their journey and Kol's hand remained on her thigh for the entire drive. A short while later, his Aston Martin slid up to the front of a two-story gray timber beach house. Humidity smacked her face as soon as she climbed out of the automobile. It was a cloying heat that filled her nostrils, wilting her hair. When she swung her eyes to the sky, dark clouds were looming overhead buy she quickly dismissed that when her eyes landed on the view overlooking the house. She smiled at the sea, her gaze roaming over its expansiveness before drifting to the screeching gulls above the swelling waves.

"It's so beautiful" she said while he took out their bags from the trunk.

The smell of rain braided itself with the sharp, briny smell of the sea. Bonnie could almost feel the fresh sea spray on her face as her heels dug into gravel, digging out seashells while she took hesitant strides to the house. They took a moment to stare at the building before clambering up a set of shingled wood stairs to the wide French doors.

It felt surreal that she was here with him. Just him.

She was going to be alone for the entire weekend with Kol Mikaelson.

Her eyes scanned the kitchen with its extra-long island with a butcher block countertop, white cabinets and a stainless steel double sink with chrome faucets. There was a stainless steel stove with double ovens and an exhaust hood but the real charm was a walk-in wine cellar with wood panels. Her heels clacked on the terracotta tile floor as she followed Kol deeper into the room. He set the groceries down on the rustic countertop and glanced over his shoulder to give her a slow, sensual smile.

They were quiet for a moment, looking at each other, breathing the same air. Bonnie let her gaze rove over him, her gut tightening at the sight of him unbuttoning his shirt.

"Come over here" he motioned her over with a slight nod. She bit her lip, conscious of her body as she proceeded toward him. She wanted him so bad that she ached for him. The primal way he looked at her was affecting every cell in her body. The closer she crept to him, the drier her mouth became and it was as though Kol was watching every nuance of her body with his darkened eyes.

"Thank you for being here" he said, lifting her chin with his forefinger so that she could look at him.

"Thanks for inviting me" She skimmed her arms up his chest and wound them around his neck. When his mouth slid over hers, a moan erupted from her that made Kol intensify the kiss just enough to leave her yearning for more. The wrought iron pot rack shook above their heads as her hands quested down the hard, pulsing muscles of his broad back over his firm buttocks and squeezed. The chuckle erupting from Kol's mouth made her smile and his kisses morphed into pecks that trailed from the corners of her mouth to her cheek.

"Let me show you the rest of the house" he whispered and placed a heated hand on the small of her back as he guided her around the rest of the house.

She loved the rustic pine-wood dining table with chunky balustrade legs fringed by wicker dining chairs. Her eyes were darting everywhere, big and curious as they rushed to the row of French doors leading out to the canopied patio. When they reached the master bedroom, she was sure that she was experiencing a Martha Stewart induced orgasm. The room was anchored by a big bed with an eggshell blue tufted headboard trimmed with silver nail-heads. It was a bed made for lovemaking and she was pretty sure that its sturdy legs could take whatever Kol had to give this weekend.

Kol dropped their bags on a pair of wingback linen chairs trimmed with the same nail-heads as the headboard.

"Nice bed" she smiled, crossing her arms against her chest.

-oOo-

They spent the afternoon discussing Voltaire and Beethoven over wine as the storm intensified outside. They were nestled inside the small library which occupied a room downstairs. Bonnie smiled languidly taking another hearty sip of wine as she watched him, he was so beautiful, she thought. Kol traced his finger along the spines of a row of books as thunder crackled in the distance. She was about to argue the merits of Beethoven's love letters when Kol looked up at her and the force of his gaze made her forget her words.

"My heart is full of so many things to say to you, "he said as he closed the gap between them, "ah, there are moments when I feel speech amounts to nothing at all" he murmured, his gaze drawn to her lips. Bonnie knew well enough that he was reciting Beethoven but her stomach still clenched at the impassioned words. Before she could give her own recitation, Kol backed her into the wall of shelves, wrapping his arms around her waist. He pulled her right leg over his hip and traced his thumb over the supple fullness of her mouth. The rumble of distant thunder seemed echo inside him as he slid his mouth over hers. His tongue, his mouth, his fingers as they tangled into her hair, everything about him was overcharged with an electric current.

"I'm gonna fuck you like I own you" he breathed into her ear then scooped her up, draping her supple legs around his hips. He set her on top of the table, his hands fisting her tousled hair as he attacked her mouth again. By the time she relished in his radiating kisses, Kol was pulling back. His chest rose and fell with his breathing and Bonnie bit her lower lip as his gaze drifted down to her thighs. He ran his magnificent hands along her calves, up the back of her knees, her thighs and pulled her closer to him. Bonnie focused on the feel of his hands over her warm skin and when he tugged her head back, his mouth sliding down her neck, she gasped with pleasure.

He hooked his fingers in the waistband of her lacy thong and pulled it down her thighs, her legs until he was lifting her legs in the air. With slow deliberation, he kissed her right foot, his mouth drifting over her big toe. When his tongue twirled around her toe, Bonnie's head fell back and a moan escaped her mouth. Kol took his time, kissing her ankle, teeth nipping her skin as his tongue travelled up her leg. He opened her legs wider to give him better access to the exquisitely sensitive skin between her trembling legs. Bonnie dared to lift her head so that she could look at him but the darkened gaze that met her between her thighs just made her shiver with yearning.

She wanted him so much; she was ready to beg for it.

Kol pulled back, slipped a hand into his pocket and ripped open the condom he'd retrieved. She watched as he pulled it over his arousal, the thick veins of his erection pulsing inside it. Bonnie swallowed, stared and gasped when he pulled her right leg toward him.

"Watch me" he rasped and her eyes slid back to his erection. Slowly, inch by deliciously stretching inch, he entered her slick heat until he was buried inside her. Drawing her hips closer to him, he lifted her legs onto his shoulders and gripped her tighter, urging her to take him all the way inside her.

He felt so fucking good, she wanted to cry. Right now, she was his and he was hers.

"Open your eyes" he whispered, running his hand down the length of her quivering stomach. "Look me in the eyes; if you look away I'll stop" he commanded as he rocked slowly against her. Bonnie's eyes fluttered closed again, the ache in her groin building and building as he slid in and out of her.

"Do you want me to stop?" he paused and she bit back a scream, outrage at him withholding such intense pleasure from her.

"No, please…oh god, no…don't stop" she managed, her hands gripping his wrists. Smiling wickedly, he lowered himself over her, his mouth working her earlobe as his thrusts intensified. Bonnie's hips thrust up at him as he pounded into her relentlessly.

 _Holy Shit_ is the only thing she would stammer as she shuddered against him.


	9. Slippery when Wet

_**A.N: Hello my lovelies' thank you for being such an amazing bunch. At this point on we'll assume that our freaky little couple uses 'protection' ALL the time. Without further ado, let's continue the Hamptons body party! Lol**_

..

The drapes billowed in the after-storm breeze and the smell of rain filled the air inside the room. The intoxicating smell of their skin tangled with sex and sweat, and the sweet briny sea scent filled her nostrils. She could almost taste the humidity in the heavy air and she loved every dizzy gasp she took.

They were lying on the bedroom floor, legs tangled around damp sheets as the soft sounds of their breathing filled the room. Her cheeks were still flushed from her incredible orgasm and she could barely contain the satisfied grin splattered all over her face.

Propping herself up on one elbow, she looked at Kol, his flushed skin and his even lustier mouth. His eyes were closed, lashes fluttering in line with his breathing and the hint of a smile on his lips tugged at her lust strings again. She traced her index finger over his forehead, down the slope of his nose until she reached his lips. Slowly, she drew an outline around them and felt him shiver under her touch. When she leaned down to brush her lips against his, Kol opened his eyes and held her gaze. Brushing a hair from her face, he dragged her face down to his and smiled into the kiss. She was in ecstasy again; just a whiff of him, just the mere taste of him and her body was already speaking a heated language. Bonnie rolled on top of him, her breasts pressed against his oiled chest, warm flesh pressed against warm flesh.

"You ready for round two?" she asked, her palm pressed against the side of his face. A slow, lazy smile curved his lips.

"I've created a cookie monster" he purred, tracing his fingers down her back and sending a chill down her spine. Bonnie smiled, hiding her flushed face against his chest but her eyes sprang open when his hand squeezed her buttocks. His hooded eyes flitted across her face while his fingers slipped into her slick heat again.

"How'd you get so wet?" his smile teased her as he thrust his fingers deeper into her.

"That's all on you" she managed to reply him as she moved against his fingers, thrusting against his palm.

"Come here, sit on top of me "he murmured and beckoned her with his finger until she was straddling him.

"I want you to take me all the way inside" Kol directed, his eyes fixed on her face, watching as she bit back a moan. Slowly, she drove him inside of her, mindful of every thrilling inch of him as he held her face.

"Tell me how good I feel inside you" he told her, seemingly excited by her quivering breath. His thrusts were slow, countering her hastier movements as she rolled her hips. As much as she relished the exquisite slow thrusts of his hips and the dizzying depths of him inside her, Bonnie ached to have him move faster, she wanted his hands to anchor her hips, she wanted to grind into him so hard that the mere thought of it made her head explode.

"Please…" is all she could gasp as hips danced on top of him. When her head dropped back and her shoulders collapsed, she left out a heaving sigh and dropped to his side. She was actually seeing sparks as she took in labored breaths.

"I'm sorry" she whispered, her chest rising and falling. Kol chuckled, scrambling to his feet.

"I think this calls for a drink" he said as he raked his hands through his messy hair.

"Are you angry?" She asked softly, pushing a damp curl behind her ear as she managed to prop herself up.

"Why would I be angry?" Kol paused, tanned body sleek with beautiful sweat as he stood against a silver afternoon light.

"I came and you're still, well…" her gaze dropped to his erection.

"I'm not angry" he smiled and followed her gaze with a shake of his head.

"I can try and take care of you…you know and -" she stammered, feeling somewhat guilty for following her own desires. Maybe she should have been more mindful to his feelings.

"Oh don't worry, I'll put that mouth of yours to work much later" he held out his hand and helped her to her feet. She stepped over their sheets, making her way to her luggage.

"What are you doing?" he asked as she unzipped her bag, leafing through her folded pile of clothes.

"Getting dressed" Bonnie replied, glancing at him over her bare shoulder. He strolled over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, touching his lips to her shoulder.

"There'll be no getting dressed here, Bonnie. This is officially a naked house" he simply said, taking the flimsy fabric of a summer dress and tossing it back inside the bag.

"I don't do well in naked houses" with a giggle, she allowed him to turn her around so that she could face him.

"My house, my rules" he said, tipping her chin up with his index finger.

"My body, my rules" she countered, sliding her arms around his waist and drawing him closer to her.

"If you keep disobeying me I will have to punish you" he warned with a wicked smile, cupping her face in his palms. Her stomach clenched as she arched an eyebrow to his scandalous invitation.

"Punish me?" she blew out a shaky breath, anticipating the delicious challenge.

"I might handcuff you to a naughty corner and leave you there all night with no pudding" He didn't remove his hands from her face as he reprimanded her like a teacher would a naughty school girl.

"I like pudding; in fact I'm starting to love pudding" Bonnie licked her lower lip, pressing harder against him. Holy crap, the man was still as hard as bricks and yet they were still yapping when they could be doing other things with their time.

"Perhaps I'll put you over my knee for a good hiding" his smile broadened, his thumb tracing a line down her cheek.

"But for now, it's off to the kitchen for you" he pulled back with a wink that left her deflated.

"Like this?" she laughed, opening her arms. He folded his arms against hi chest, his head cocked to the side to access her. As if content by what his eyes took in, he inched closer to her and grabbed her lush buttocks with one hand.

"Yes, butt naked and horny" the sultry heat in his eyes stiffened her nipples but the slap he gave her buttocks delighted her and made her blush.

"This is a cruel and unusual punishment" she giggled as she ran past him.

-oOo-

"What brought you to New York?" Kol asked as he opened the refrigerator. She had parked her bare ass on a spot next to the sink so she could be close to him while he rifled through the fridge. He didn't take his eyes off her as he took out a can of whipped cream from the fridge.

"Why does anyone move to New York?" she teased her red wine sloshing around her glass as she poured the drink. Kol gave her a look and she rolled her eyes and took a hearty sip.

"I wanted to do something important with my life" she said with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"Like writing an article about 101 sex positions?" he asked, retrieving a tray of ripe strawberries from a bottom drawer in the fridge and she thought she heard a very distinct snort in his comment.

"Don't be mean" Bonnie chuckled, kicking him lightly on his thigh.

"I'm not being mean, I'm being honest" he walked over to the butcher island to set the contents of the fridge down. She watched him disappear inside the wine cellar and then reappear again with two bottles of Perrier champagne.

"Do you want to have drinks somewhere tonight, maybe see the summer crowds?" he asked, his hip brushing her knee as he opened the fridge again. Bonnie shrugged, observing him with furrowed brows. He placed the champagne inside the fridge, took out a small bottle of honey and a can of peaches and paused to smile at her.

"The Hamptons are always bustling with movie stars this time of the year." He told her matter-of-factly, "If that's your thing"

"What would make you think that's my thing?" she bit her lip, her gaze trekking lower as Kol walked to the island again.

"Because your friends seem like the type that would care if Matthew McConaughey was in town" he grinned, looking up at her with a wink before garnishing a strawberry with a dollop of whipped cream.

"So what, birds of a feather?" she quizzed him as she climbed off the sink and approached him with her glass in her hand.

"You seem offended. It's just an observation. I'm not judging" he looked amused while he bit into the fat strawberry.

"You don't like my friends" she said, brows furrowed but intensely aware of his outstretched tongue licking the cream around his bottom lip.

"I think your friends are fascinating" he said and she couldn't tell if he was serious or merely mocking her.

"Good because they like you" she narrowed her eyes, inching closer to him.

"Everyone likes me" Kol chuckled and sprayed another shot of cream on a strawberry. He held the fruit out so that she could bite into it. Bonnie chewed on the ripeness of it, running her tongue over her lips as her eyes fixed onto his.

"Are you making pie?" she asked, obediently licking the cream he offered from his index finger.

"No, it's a little recipe I picked up in Havana" his gaze stayed fixed on her, a smile toying with his lips while she sucked his finger.

"You'll love it" he said, finally taking back his finger from her. She fought the urge to catch his wrist again, battled the impulse to grab him, the need to kiss him and fuck him right there on the kitchen floor.

"What's the subject of your next article?" Kol asked and she shook her head in an attempt to concentrate on the present moment between them.

"I thought you said my column was artless and pretentious" her lips edged up into a teasing smile, her eyes pinned to his hands as he assembled the strawberries into a small bowl.

"Never. I find it titillating and highly informative" he chuckled, cracking open the can of peaches. She watched as he dipped a peach slice into the whipped cream before offering it to her. Bonnie took another big bite and watched as he relished the rest.

"I'm writing about the perfect cock" her voice was hoarse, her pulse hastening as they melted each other with their heated gaze.

"Thank you" he winked and reached for a bottle of honey after piling the peaches on top of the strawberries.

"I wasn't talking about yours you cocky bastard" Bonnie cocked an eyebrow, smiling at him over the rim of her wine glass.

"Open your mouth "he ordered and obediently, she stretched out her tongue so he cold drizzle the honey on it.

"Suck" he told her and Bonnie opened her mouth to take in his finger. Wrapping her fingers around his finger, she twirled her tongue around it, lapping up the sweet juices before taking him into her mouth again and again.

"I could get used to this" she murmured, syrup dribbling down her chin.

"Careful, I might just shackle you to the bed and keep you here so I can have my way with you" he growled, heating gaze peeling her flesh, "Whenever I want"

"Maybe I find the thought of being kidnapped erotically seductive" Bonnie breathed and stepped even closer to him, her wide green eyes never leaving his curious gaze.

"Careful what you wish for Miss Bennett" one corner of his lips curved up as he watched her closely, "Now, less talking and more sucking"

It didn't take long before they found themselves in the hot shower, cleaning off the mess from their food foreplay. Kol took her in the shower, from the back with her face plastered against the glass door and she loved every single fucking minute of it.

-oOo-

The smell of curried prawns travelled over the house, meeting her nostrils.

"There's something sexy about the rain" Kol said, stretching out a hand to catch the falling drops. She broke apart a grilled baguette and sopped up the broth as she observed him from her position in the hammock.

"Very sexy" she replied, taking a bite as her eyes roamed his body. He was clad in his Ralph Lauren boxer shorts and looked like a model cut-out of the boys she used to drool over growing up.

"You miss your parents?" he asked, taking a puff from his cigar.

"Yeah, sometimes" she nodded, her eyes flitting over his cool exterior. She studied the elongated slender stem of her wine glass as her hand cradled its bubble bowel. She loved the flared bowel of the oversized wine glass because it meant that it could hold more wine. She admired its deep, burgundy color and when she took a sip, the bouquet of blackberries and chocolate made her toes curl. She was happy and content, she thought as her eyes wandered back to him to study his profile as he smoked his cigar and watched the sea. She turned her gaze to the ocean through the haze of the downpour. Then closing her eyes, she settled to the fragrant scent or rain soaked sand.

Later, they snuggled under a fluffy, soft camel-hair throw as they watched waves crash along a jagged shoreline. The hammock swayed and Kol murmured while he played with her hair.

"Let's agree on a safe word" Bonnie purred against his chest.

"A safe word?" he breathed against her forehead.

"It's a word that we'll use when either of us wants to end the relationship" she said softly, pressing her body tightly into his nook.

"How about we just do the adult thing and walk away. No safe words" his voice caressed her skin and mad her want to crawl inside him, to the very spot that made him, _him._

"Will you tell me?" she asked, searching.

"Tell you what, sweetheart?" he asked absent mindedly.

"When you want to walk away…will you tell me?"

"Why?"

"So I can give our relationship a proper burial" she lowered her voice even more, drowned by the soft sounds of the rain.

"Okay." Kol agreed and continued to sway the hammock.

"Promise" she said and draped her arm around his waist.

"I promise"


	10. Fools Rush In

Bonnie slipped her hands into the back pockets of Kol's jeans, uncertain at first like this was all a figment of her imagination. Running his thumb down her cheek, he smiled and lifted her chin up so that her eyes could meet his.

"I had a great time" he murmured, pressing his hips tightly against hers. The heat from his eyes alone burned a searing path down her spine and she was pretty sure that she was already soaked from his touch. Damn this man.

"The best" she responded with a shiver and rolled the words around her tongue in quite the same manner she had rolled him inside her mouth all weekend.

"Where have you been all my life?" his lips edged into a faint smile as his hand moved over her shoulder to tease the strap of her flouncy white dress. His eyes didn't leave her face as his lips touched her heated skin and sent a tremor to her groin. If she were a very brave woman she would've sprung him out of his deliciously snug jeans there and there but she still had some sense of decorum.

"Okay, don't do that" Bonnie breathed, arching her neck ever so slightly to give his lips better access.

"Do what?" he bit his lip, looking up at her with this ridiculously innocent doe-eyed expression.

Finally finding her composure, she planted both hands on his hard chest, "I know what this is and I know what its not" she panted, meeting his wide-eyed gaze.

"Bon-"he released his lips and stared at her, a certain realization flashing in his eyes.

"This is not a movie; boys don't just change their minds. They don't ride in on their white horses and declare their undying love after a weekend of stupendously fantastic sex. I won't ask for anything, I'm fine with this…just like this" she thrust her chin, her speech coming forth speedily in case she changed her mind. She wasn't ready to abandon her resolve with him but oh she wanted to, everything in her screamed to let go and just free-fall.

"You are refreshing and exciting. That's why I like you" Kol drank her in, his eyes slowly trailing over her face.

"That's me. I'm cool, easy…exciting" she rolled her eyes but the blood flooding her cheeks betrayed her nonchalance. Tangling his hand in her hair, Kol wrapped his other hand around her throat, tilted her head up to him and kissed her slowly and deeply like he was fucking her for the last time.

"Take care" he breathed against the shell of her earlobe and strolled off to his car. With a shake of her head, Bonnie clutched her luggage bag tighter and proceeded to the door of her apartment. She refused to turn around even when she heard the start of his engine. She didn't want to show him how much she cared about him because she wasn't ready for that.

Take Care.

What did that even mean? Was it just a cop out from promising to call and not actually calling? Did it mean, hey great sex now take care and don't ever call me again? Bonnie refused to overthink it.

"Hey, "she greeted, her hazel eyes widening at the sight of fabrics scattered around on the couch, spilling onto the floor. She leaned against the door with bag in hand and took in the sight.

"Hey" Caroline mumbled with a pin in her mouth. She was sitting on the floor surrounded by yards of fabric, needles and a few pairs of fabric scissors.

"No blogging this weekend?" Bonnie quizzed, lips pressed together because the mess around the room was giving her a serious anxiety attack even though she was sure Caroline would clean after herself.

"I'm trying to get back into designing and sewing and things might have gotten a bit out of hand" Caroline pointed to the plaster on her index finger. Heaving an exasperated sigh, she ruffled her blonde hair and grinned up at Bonnie. She rolled the sleeves of her bow trimmed cardigan as Bonnie tossed her luggage bag on the fabric scattered couch.

"You cut yourself" the brunette noted, closing in on Caroline.

"It's no big deal. How was your weekend with Mr Moneybags?" she shrugged and rose from the floor.

"I thought we stopped calling him that"

"Wow, Bonbon falls in love with her fuck buddy. It's the retelling of a modern day fairy-tale."

"Well, aren't you a buzzkill?"

"Seriously?" she yelled, her cheeks flushed as pink as her cardigan.

"Care…" Bonnie narrowed her eyes, arms folded against her chest.

"I'm sorry, you're my friend and you're always there for me and you never even expect the same in return." The words tumbled out of Caroline's mouth, her face now beet-red.

"I'm just scared that you'll get hurt" her voice softened, her blue eyes pleading with Bonnie.

"I'm a big girl, Care."

"I know…I'm also scared that you'll start hanging out with him more than me" she whined like a petulant child and Bonnie tried to fight the grin forming across her lips.

"You're my inner penguin, Care. You're the most hopeful person I know" Bonnie lowered her voice and reached out to hold Caroline's bruised hands.

"Your inner what?" she shook her head, a furrow marring her brow.

"You're like that penguin that says slide in that Fight Club movie" Bonnie explained slowly, her smile hurting her cheeks.

"Like a spirit guide?"

"Like a soul mate" she grinned and pulled Caroline in for a warm bear hug.

"You're my eternal optimist" Bonnie added as she squeezed the blonde's shoulders in the hug.

"I love you" Caroline smiled, her voice swelling with emotions.

"I love you too, Care"

..

"There's been a lot of interest in your column lately and so I have an offer for you" Hayley said, smoothing her hands down her lace trimmed pencil skirt. Bonnie wasn't sure where to focus between Hayley's lacy skirt and her polka dot blouse because her head was killing her. The celebratory friendship cocktails with Caroline at the small dive bar close to their place had been a bad idea. Tequila would never ever be her friend.

"You've piqued my interest" Bonnie responded through her fog. She adjusted the embellished peter pan collar of her shirt and preened her cigarette leg jeans.

"We're going to do a little marketing which will include photoshoots for the column as well as your live blog and maybe even a vlog" Hayley stippled her hands beneath her chin, pursing her glossy lips.

Delighted, Bonnie tried to school her pounding heart "You want a vlog?"

"Yes, you'll be interviewing the average New Yorker about their sex life, what toys they use, how many times a week they do it…that sort of thing"

"Great"

"Leah will advise you about the photoshoot "she finished and redirected her eyes to the laptop screen.

"Thank you, Hayley"

"Good, now off you go" her boss waved her off without bothering to look up.

..

"How about a lunch to welcome me back to New York?" she was buoyant as she breezed into Katherine's cubicle, perching herself on top of her friend's desk.

"Bonnie you didn't go off to save whales in China or something; you were fucking in the Hamptons" Katherine replied coolly and pulled open a drawer in her desk to reveal a cluster of designer shoes. She picked up a red sling-back with a spindly heel and dangled it from her index finger.

"Besides, I have an appointment with my Chakra healer" she added, swinging her smoky eyes back up at Bonnie.

"What does she do again?" Bonnie scrunched up her nose, tapping her nails against the sides of her ceramic mug.

"They help me heal my energy and my aura and it's a he…oh and he's also my weed connection" Katherine slipped out of her old shoes and into the red sling-backs.

"You mean he's your dealer" Bonnie corrected, a smile peeking over the rim of her coffee mug.

"I'm not a big fan of the D word" Katherine rose from her chair and twirled in her shoes. With a scoff, Bonnie removed her butt from the desk and plodded toward the exit.

"Whatever, I'm going over to Matt's tonight for movie night" she waved over her shoulder.

"Have fun!"

..

"Oh my heck, are you watching The Hills?" Bonnie asked, wide-eyed. She was standing in the middle of Matt's lounge clutching two bottles of wine and three packets of chips.

"Hey if LC isn't your hero you're a basic bitch" Matt rolled his eyes, a bowl of popcorn wedged between his thighs. He was wearing sweatpants and a ratty looking top which must have cost a ton.

"How was your weekend of rumbustious sex?" He touched a spot next to him on the couch for her to sit.

"It was okay." She obliged and set the bottles of wine down on the coffee table, dropping herself on his couch.

"Just okay?"

"There's really nothing to tell" Bonnie shrugged, digging a handful of popcorn from Matt's bowl.

"I'm a sucker for a good story"

"My lips are sealed"

"Oh crap, you're falling in love with Mr. Moneybags, aren't you?"

"Am not, and can we please stop calling him that?" her voice rose a decimal or two but Matt caught the guilty look on her flushed face.

"I know you never discuss your trysts but this is different, _you_ are different" he said, searching her face closely, "You're not the type to be blinded by love"

"I'm not" Bonnie humbly agreed and packed a handful of popcorn in her mouth.

"I mean you once said you would wait years for the right guy"

"Matt, I'm not falling in love with anyone, least of all Kol Mikaelson" her mouth dried up and she slapped his arm with her hand, "What are we doing tonight?"

"I see what you're doing"

"What am I doing?"

"Trying to change the subject but its okay, it's your lie" he shrugged then diverted his attention to the bottles of wine. He picked up a white wine and headed to the kitchen to retrieve a corkscrew.

"We're heading to Zero" he replied, standing over the counter as he struggled with the cork.

"Zero?" she pulled her feet under her and craned her neck so that she could look at him.

Finally managing top open the bottle, he picked out two glasses from the cupboard, "It's a very man-centric club"

"You mean it's a gay club." Bonnie teased, leaning over the couch's headrest and propping her chin on her folded arms.

"Yes and you better pull out your nipple tassels for this one. It's gonna be a crazy night"

..

They pushed their way through a dancing crowd bobbing their heads to the beats spun by a DJ on the turntables. Bonnie could see the bar through the jostling crowd and suddenly she was parched beyond words. This is what they did; they prowled clubs, engaged in frivolous conversation with men at bars and lived to tell the tale the next day over a couple of mimosas. It was a fun life with no great expectations and she used to be content. Shaking all immediate thoughts about Kol Mikaelson, she leaned over the crowded bar and waved her money in her hand while Matt shouted his drinks order.

"Can I have a Wallbanger?" he yelled over the thumping music then nudged Bonnie with his shoulder so that she could make her order.

"One muff diver and a sex on the beach" Bonnie shouted, elbows digging into the wood of the bar while her palms slapped the surface. The rowdy crowd swarmed behind them dancing to a Madonna track and the cacophony around the bar increased as Katherine called out her drinks order.

"I'll have a slippery nipple" she yelled, raking her fingers through her curly hair and gyrating her hips in her glittery black dress.

"Are those even a drinks or are you guys just looking for an excuse to talk dirty to the bartender?" Caroline flung her bag on top of the bar, propping her head on her palm.

Swinging a side glance at Caroline, Katherine smiled and asked, "What are you having Caroline, a nun's habit?"

After collecting their drinks, they wandered off to the depths of the crowd in an attempt to find a table. Tonight was about being drunk, being silly and having fun. Tonight she wouldn't think about Kol let alone call him. Later and adequately sauced from several shots of whatever round was being bought, Bonnie was feeling loose limbed and loose tongued and Caroline had wandered off to the dance floor with some baller type.

"Okay, you know what? Slippery nipples for everyone!" Katherine shouted, lifting up her empty shot glass.

"Free the nipple! Free the nipple!" the group chanted, slamming their shot glasses on the table. This is when it happened, this lack of judgement on her part but she could always blame it on the alcohol. Slowly, under the strobe lights of a chaotic club she slid down her dress strap and took a shot of her bare breast with her cell phone. Before her mind had even the slightest chance to process anything, she scrolled down her phone for Kol's number and clicked send.

Wide eyed, Matt slurred in her ear "What did just you do?"

"I think I just sent Kol a picture of my nipple" Bonnie slurred back, her hand flying to cover her open mouth.

"You have officially become a woman of questionable standards" Matt rolled his blue eyes but couldn't hide the smirk teasing his lips.

A young, sexy financial type came behind Katherine, leaned over her shoulder and asked, "Can I buy you a drink?"

"Look at you and then a long look at me. No Teletubby!" she yelled over the music, playing with her sparkly straw.

"You're such a mean drag queen" Matt shook his head and clicked his tongue at her as the man walked away with a tail between his legs.

"I didn't come to a gay club to get hit on" she countered and searched her clutch for her credit card.

"Wait, why didn't I think of that before it happened or maybe it happened after I like thought it happened" Bonnie slurped her drink clumsily, spilling most of the red concoction onto her chest.

"Okay Bon-bon in solidarity, I'm no longer drinking tonight, its time to take you home"

"Fuck that, get me a case!" she shouted belligerently nearly knocking Matt off his chair. The vibration of her mobile-phone jolted her from her drunken euphoria and Bonnie slipped a clumsy hand into her clutch to pull out the device.

"Thank you for that picture, darling. I miss your warm, wet pussy" the voice spoke, warming her insides and she was very familiar with the owner.

"What am I, dial-a-vagina?" she spat, rising unsteadily to her feet.

"Bonnie" Kol warned.

"I'm sorry; it's kind of noisy in here" she plugged one ear with her index finger and weaved her way between the crowds, bumping into people as she moved out to the restrooms where long lines were a dire tradition.

"I hear a good wall bang can be cathartic" Kol said but she still couldn't hear him properly. She dared to look over her shoulder, delighted that none of her friends were trailing behind her.

Shouting into the phone and avoiding a vomiting twink all in one go, she asked again, "What?"

"Does that place have great restrooms?" Kol asked while Bonnie felt her way out of the club by touching her back to the wall. She wiggled like a big bloated worm, stumbling out of the club.

"I'm at a gay bar" she shouted and by the time he responded, she was out of the crammed space and a cool breeze was grazing her cheeks.

"Get over here" he said, his voice raw with need.

"Where is here?" she asked, tunnelling her hand through her damp hair as her eyes scanned the street for a cab.

"My place"

A tremor of excitement surged her body as Bonnie flagged down a taxicab and she grinned "Okay, I'm coming"

"You can bet on it" he chuckled and that sentence alone sent an electric current straight to her clit. Diving into the back of a cab, she gave the cabbie the address and leaned back, feeling groggier by the minute. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. I mean yes she wanted Kol, fuck, she needed him but not like this. What did they have anyway? A great Hamptons weekend followed by what a drunken booty call?

Fuck.

Holy Shit.

She was his booty call. She caught a glimpse of a woman in a cab next to hers wiping her eyes with a tissue. Bonnie realized that she too had been crying when she took a deep breath before taking a phone call. The mobile vibrated in her hand a little while longer and then with a lungful of air, she answered.

"Kol"

"You're late" he teased because naturally, he was still horny.

"I'm not coming" her reply startled her but she would not retract her statement. She would stand her ground, darn it!

"Bonnie…"

"Good-bye Kol" she mumbled and then cut him off. Surely she deserved better than this.

..


	11. Safe Words

Kol stood under the shower, water streaming down his head and pounding his aching shoulders. Tentatively, he wrapped his palm around his dick and closed his eyes. The water felt great on his skin and his mind wandered off the object of his desire, Bonnie Bennett. He pictured her on the floor of the cottage at the Hamptons, naked; legs spread wide open while he drank champagne from her navel. Kol groaned, throwing his head back when he remembered trailing his tongue down her quivering torso to suck on her clit. As he pounded into his closed palm, he imagined it was Bonnie's mouth around his hard cock, her warm wetness pulsating around his erection.

He rode the tidal wave of his hot, sticky orgasm with a growling groan. After the sensation had rippled through him like wave, he finished his shower and stepped out under the skylight. Rolling his shoulders, Kol stepped closer to the steamed mirror and examined his face. His dishevelled hair was shorter, lighter from the summer sun and his skin visibly darker. He raked a hand through the short, golden tresses and smiled wryly at his reflection.

Three weeks, he told the mirror. Bonnie had left him three weeks ago and he still didn't know how he'd managed to fuck that up. Kol assumed that they were both on the same page, enjoying each other and benefiting from their human connection. Did he get too heavy too soon? Maybe taking Bonnie to the Hamptons had given off bad vibes and she had assumed that he was gunning for a commitment.

He'd lost a good thing because Bonnie was witty, smart and interested in the world around her. She wasn't exactly sexually aggressive but she had begun to open up and was grasping his teachings like a fish to water. He closed his eyes and relaxed his shoulders; he didn't want to think about Bonnie Bennett today because he'd been doing too much of that.

Padding back to his large bedroom, he took in the expansive bed with red tangled sheets and walked into his walk-in closet to pick out an ensemble. He shrugged into a black slim-fit shirt, pausing to watch the bobbing schooners on the Hudson River. He missed the sound of water slapping against the hull, lazy days lying on deck under a buttery sunlight. That was living, not this, not office space and glittering skyscrapers and scheduled Monday Morning meetings. He was now helming Esther Magazine which was housed in the same building where Bonnie worked. It was officially his first day at the office after weeks of back and forth between his father and brothers. Kol still thought the job would be dull and tedious and would rather have spent his time trekking across the Mongolian desert but for the sake of peace he'd agreed to take charge of the magazine while Klaus and Elijah overlooked the rest of the publications.

His father, Mikael had flown back to their villa in Italy reluctantly leaving everything in their capable hands. Rolling his shirt sleeves, he glanced at his watch and grabbed his Tom Ford sunglasses. He may have been turned into a working stiff but he refused to dress like one.

..

It had been three weeks, four days, six hours and thirty two minutes since she'd heard from Kol Mikaelson. Okay, perhaps there was an itsy bitsy teeny weeny lie there, yes he'd called her and twice to be exact but she had chosen not to respond until he realized the error of his ways.

The error of _his_ ways? Maybe it was the error of _their_ ways because she needed to take responsibility for her part in the relationship, if she could even call it that. Casual sex was a minefield she had learned to navigate before but with Kol her emotions had gotten the better of her. She'd even gone as far as using her safe word which it turns out was banana. That seemed to have worked because there had been no further communication between the two of them. She would not miss him; she would not be that girl who slept with that hot, sexy billionaire once only to fall under his spell.

"Must you always wear those jeans?" Bonnie tossed Matt a look as she locked the front door to her apartment. Caroline had already left so that she could meet Katherine for a spinning class and she had a photo-shoot for her new blog.

"They give me a nice basket!" Matt argued, sizing up her dress.

"Is that what you're wearing?" he raised a sceptical eyebrow, pursing his lips.

"Yes, why?" she asked, throwing him a glance as they scurried along the sidewalk, weaving through swarms of people clogging the sidewalk.

Matt hung back while she cut through the crowd before raising a hand to hail down a cab, "Because you look like the before" he yelled with a smirk.

"You're my acting camera man for the vlog and your opinion is null and void" she shrugged cracking open the cab door. The crawled into the backseat, Matt leaning back against the bench with his arm draped across the headrest.

"The dress makes the woman" he said affectionately, examining her features and her new hairstyle, a long wavy bob.

"Hayley's arranged a stylist so I'm sure there'll sort me out" Bonnie informed him airily and opened her tote to search her bag for her trusted tube of peach gloss.

"I deserve your life but minus the love drama" Matt resigned with a heavy sigh and opened his iPad to scroll down its screen.

"Oooh" he suddenly exclaimed, slapping a hand over his mouth. Bonnie paused and took note of the expression on his face, her eyes darted between his eyes and the screen and she scooted closer.

"Let me see that" she cried, snatching the iPad from him. They fought over the device for a while, exchanging words before Matt yelled,

"It's Kol on page six"

"Let me see!" she rushed for the device, choking it with her hands and hurriedly scrolled and clicked until Kol's image came into view. He looked good, hair lighter and shorter and his brown eyes were significantly brighter against his tan skin. Bonnie's stomach sank; he was obviously doing fine without her.

"Why did you break up with him again?" Matt's brows furrowed and he reached out to ruffle her bob with his fingers.

With a scoff, she brushed his hand away and hissed, "You know why…he was all about the sex"

"You meet a guy on a sex website, you go away on a sexy weekend with him where you undoubtedly have lots of sea side sex, you send him a picture of your courageous nipple at three a.m. and complain when he invites you over because he just wants sex with you"

Perhaps Matt had a point, Bonnie frowned but she refused to admit it.

"What were you expecting?" he asked.

"I don't know" she lifted her hair from her neck and fanned her nape uselessly with a vogue magazine pulled out from her bag.

"Do you see how this looks from his point of view?"

"He should've been able to sense that it wasn't enough" she whined, rolling her eyes.

"Because he's a mind reader" Matt drawled, his tone irritating her "Why don't you try telling him?"

"Tell him what?" she turned to him, her eyebrows raised.

"That you're in love with him"

"But I'm not"

"You're such a drama queen"

By the time they reached Esther Magazine's offices, Bonnie was exhausted from her conversation with Matt. He was supposed to be on her side on this matter, he owed her that much. They strolled in with their heels echoing around the vast studio with high industrial ceilings and an exposed brick wall. The place was crawling with people, setting up lights, screens and pushing clothes rails. The photographer stood feet wide apart with a professional camera slung around his neck.

"This is so exciting!" Matt squealed, pinching her arm as the photographer looked up from his camera. He closed the short distance between them and stuck out his hand for a handshake.

"You must be my model" he said with a smile and his strong English accent wasn't lost on her. Why did everything have to remind her of Kol?

She watched as his warm fingers wrapped around her hand and her body tensed to his touch.

"I'm Bonnie" she replied, clearing her throat.

"Enzo" he smirked, the pads of his thumb brushing her forearm, "Why don't you slip out of those clothes, gorgeous?"

"My clothes?"

"The stylist's waiting to work on you" he gestured to a petit redhead next to a chinse print screen and Bonnie cleared her throat, nodding curtly before walking away from him. Enzo turned to watch, a smile teasing his lips as his face colored.

The stylists with corkscrew red curls handed her a filmy black dress that left very little to the imagination.

"That's it?" Bonnie chewed on her lips, giving the woman a quizzical look.

"You write about sex so we're selling sex" she shrugged her shoulders and motioned Bonnie to get behind the screen so that she could change.

"You're not gonna have me posing next to a giant dildo are you?"

"That would be the set designer's job" she sang, her voice laced with spite.

After her change of clothes, they lead her to the front where the camera was set up. Bonnie sat on a swing on set, her fingers nervously plucking the fake vines on the ropes of the swing. She pushed herself off with the balls of her feet, her filmy dress flaring as she swung up with Enzo's camera clicking away. The falling cherry blossoms tickled her nose and following Enzo's direction, she threw her head back and mock laughed because apparently sex was supposed to be fun and floral like a perfume ad. She had just slipped into another tattered chiffon dress that fluttered from the fan-breeze when she spotted Kol with his arms crossed against his chest as he leaned against the door.

Fuck my life, she thought before giving him a small wave with her hand. He didn't respond but he lurked around the fringes of the room, observing her like a predator. When she looked up again, trying to find him over the heads of several people on set, he was gone.

The shoot was over and her cheeks ached from the mock smiling. Bonnie was actually looking forward to getting behind her desk so that she could start planning her assignments for the blog. The photographer was still watching her, sans camera now but she still felt raw and exposed.

"Let me cook you dinner" Enzo said as she brushed past him.

"Come again?" she stopped, eyes wide as she stared at him.

"I make a mean casserole" he leaned closer, his eyes caressing every inch of her face.

..

Katherine was planning to get her feet wet in the new class and the instructor with dark tousled curls and olive skin was just the man for the job. Her imagination had gone into overdrive weeks into starting the class and his yoga moves weren't helping. Markos was tall, limber, toned with a magnetic aura that seemed to draw a bevy of women to his class.

Katherine took a position on the front row right in front of him where she could swoon over his dark facial stubble and the hair peeking over his deep V-neck t-shirt. As she did her downward facing dog with him weaving between them, she wondered if she would pair him with a white wine and sugar-free lube or a chocolate body paint and a lush red wine. It wasn't a question of getting him but more like when? They'd been playing this game of eye-sex and can I help you stretch since her second day in class. Today was no different as he approached Katherine, his face wearing a very subtle I can choke you till your eyes stream blackened tears down your cheeks look. It was a look Katherine had learned to love as he leaned over her and lifted her anxious legs over his shoulders, palming her ass in both hands.

He told the class it was a hamstring stretch and they partnered up to mirror the stretch. He didn't let up on the pose, his bulge brushing up against her clit while his hands massaged her ankles. As he continued to stretch her out like he was stretching out her pussy, Kat's mind toyed with the thought of him entering her from behind and hooking her leg round his thrusting hip while he buried his face against her neck.

"This will really stretch you out, it's nice and deep" he said thickly, his dark eyes fixed on her and she practically came in her yoga pants.

"That was a great class" Katherine told him later when she found him at the front of the room, setting up for his next class.

"Thank you" his lips teased into a smile, his eyes studying her curiously.

"We should grab some green tea sometime" she lifted an eyebrow, testing his response before pulling her card from her oiled chest.

"Yes, I'd like that" his gaze lingered there where she'd pulled the card, memorizing the size of her breasts.

"Call me" she smiled and handed him her business card.

..

Tyler was late; Caroline thought as she took another sip of sparkling water from her steamed glass. The ice had already melted down and shaking it didn't help. She tapped her pencil against the glass and glared at her sketch. The dress didn't look half bad but she knew that she could do better, she just needed to concentrate. Working on her sketches at a bra in Brooklyn at seven in the evening was probably not a good idea but since she didn't have the key to Tyler's apartment, she was forced to wait for him there. Tyler Lockwood would've been quite ideal if he wasn't such a cheater. He would have been similarly a model boyfriend if he gave her a spare key to his apartment or even a drawer. Lugging the things back and forth between the East Village and Brooklyn was becoming exhausting. She squeezed her eyes closed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Sorry I'm late"

Caroline raised her head to the sound of his voice over the cacophony inside the bar.

"Hey, you" the blonde tried to smile but she was still quite irritated by his blatant disregard for her and her time.

"I'm sorry I'm late" he brushed a hair down her hair and perched up on a barstool next to her.

"I'm been seeing here like an idiot"

"I said I was sorry, Care"

"You know this wouldn't happen if I had the key to your apartment" she swung her eyes up at him, checking his reaction but he was unreadable.

"What do we have here?" Tyler evaded her question and gestured to her spilling bag sitting on the floor between them.

"Its champagne, cheese, some strawberries. I just wanted to make tonight beautiful" Caroline said, taking another sip of her luke warm water, even the fizzle had died much like the spark in her relationship with Tyler.

"Let's go home" he said after giving her statement a bit more thought and rubbed her upper arm with his hand.


	12. Fuck Boys and Sex Toys

"Dating is a sport" Bonnie told the camera while Katherine stood behind her, adjusting the thin straps of Bonnie's green trapeze dress.

"I once dated a guy from Brooklyn; turns out he was dating me and another guy in Brooklyn. The different boroughs thing worked well for him" Matt announced from behind the lens of the video camera. Slowly he circled the two girls, aiming the camera at Bonnie.

"So what happened?" Bonnie asked with a wince as she felt a pinch on her shoulder from one of Katherine's red talons.

Matt paused, dropped the camera from his face before responding, "I stuck it out; he dumped the other guy eventually because he was geographically undesirable. So yes, you are correct. Dating is a blood-sport, especially in New York"

Bonnie was about to offer her much needed commentary on the issue when she felt Katherine's hands on her chest, adjusting the fabric covering her breasts.

"Hey! What are you doing?" she cried, swatting at Katherine's hands.

Seemingly agitated, Kat puffed and rolled her eyes "Remember, men are visual creatures. It pays to show a bit of skin."

"Yeah but I don't want my tits spilling out of my dress, sista"

"Now, remember no word vomit. I know you haven't dated for a while but-" Matt smiled, adding his own brand of cynicism.

"Hey!" Bonnie warned him with a quick glance and took to the floor to look for her shoes. They were all huddled inside her bedroom with a box of pizza and two bottles of wine while they helped her prepare for her date with the fashion photographer.

"And by dating I mean general conversation over dinner not just cheap wine followed by cheap sex and a pricey cab ride home." Matt added, lifting a sandal from the floor by its glittering strap. Suddenly it dawned on Bonnie, she hated dinner dates and she was plausibly setting herself up for the worst date in history.

"I'm gonna have an awful time aren't I? I'm not equipped for this." She groaned, snatching the scandal from Matt before plopping down on the bed beside Caroline.

"Well that's like saying the sun is gonna rise tomorrow morning." Katherine scoffed.

"Or that water is wet" Caroline chimed in, holding up her Ben & Jerry's superfudge chuck ice-cream.

With his hands firmly on his hips, Matt addressed the trio "Look, nothing is as fucked up as dating in New York but it's also fucking exciting."

"Until it's not." Someone retorted while Bonnie was tying up her scandals. They were thin, spindly heels and hurt like a bitch.

"We're going to this bar in Chelsea called Shame to get drunk as fuck so when your date bums out you know where to find us" Katherine grabbed the bottle of wine from the table, refilled her glass and held out the bottle to Matt.

"Hey, don't jinx her, she's not going to bum out" Matt cooed in turn, offering Bonnie a sympathetic smile.

..

Later she found herself in Upper East Side pulling up outside's Enzo's apartment in an Uber cab. The place was classy with a doorman, a fancy awning and a red carpet to wipe your feet before stepping into the lobby with a glistening marble floor. She made her way to the bank of elevators and punched his floor number-not the penthouse.

Outside his doors she double checked her dress, shoes and hair before knocking. It took a couple of minutes for him to come to the door but when the door swung open, her pulse raced.

"Get in here" he grinned, raking a hand through his floppy hair. He was dressed in black leather pants and an open denim shirt. Bonnie's gaze dropped down to is bare feet before her mind registered. Smiling graciously she stepped over the threshold of his apartment while he assaulted her cheeks with kisses.

"Nice place." She offered, taking in the black and white wall sculptures hanging over a glass console, more black and white portraits and a rainbow colored ottoman strewn with photography magazines.

"This beats waiting for a shitty table at some overcrowded bar." He said over his shoulder as she followed him down the hall sprinkled with even more black and white photographs.

"They say life is what happens when you're busy waiting for a table in a New York restaurant, am I right?"

He smiled to himself and gestured toward the kitchen, seemingly her joke was lost on him.

"Can I offer you a drink?"

"Yes, thank you. I'll have a chardonnay"

"You know what you drink says a lot about you" he said, opening his double-door refrigerator.

"What does a chardonnay say?" Bonnie raised an eyebrow, placing her clutch on the marble counter top as she pulled out a bar stool. He had glittering glass pendants hanging over the island and illuminating it.

"Vanilla, boring and predictable which is quite surprising because it goes against your chosen profession" his smile belied his obvious sarcasm as he pulled out a bottle of chardonnay and set it down in front of her.

His dark eyes swung back to Bonnie's and he asked "You're in the sex industry, right?"

"Uhmm…well you could say that but uhmm…I'm more like a sex journalist. I report stuff about sex." She explained, eyes squinted as she tried to figure him out. He pulled out two wine glasses from a cupboard and glanced at her over his shoulder.

"Therefore you work in the sex industry" he said very matter-of-factly. She pursed her lips then cleared her throat, pushing back a tendril of hair behind her ear.

Getting back to the kitchen island, he filled both glasses with the wine and shot her a quick glance, "Something wrong?"

"Well…you kinda make it seem like I'm a…uhm… prostitute" Bonnie explained, snatching up one of the glasses.

"You think there's something wrong with being a prostitute?"

"No, hey…I mean…hey, get that dollar right?" she raised the glass and glared at him over the rim.

"Where're you from?" he asked, retrieving a platter of cheese from the far side of the counter and placing it between the two of them.

"West Virginia, Mystic Falls"

"Never heard of it."

"What's your five year plan?"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean you must have one, you're what-thirty?" he leaned over and picked up a piece of cheese from the platter with his fingers.

"Twenty six!"

"You look very mature for your age…and you should really take that as a compliment. "He smiled with a shrug, and then paused to take in her expression.

"You went to school in Virginia?"

"Yup." She trekked him with her eyes over the rim of her glass. He walked over the stove, set the pots down on the table and started dishing up.

"How long you been in New York?"

"About five years"

"I find cutlery redundant so I hope you don't mind eating with your hands." He grinned, placing a plate of Ethiopian goat stew on the table in front of her.

"Oh, I should've asked, you're not a vegan or anything are you?"

"Nope, I like meat." Bonnie feigned a smile and pulled her napkin from the silver butterfly ring.

"Good, I dated enough vegans in L.A." he watched her closely, still leaning over the table as she placed the napkin on her lap.

Picking up her fork and fully aware that she was under scrutiny; Bonnie shot him a glance and asked "You stayed in L.A?"

"My work allows me to move around but there's nothing like the urine soaked subways in New York. You gotta love this place, right?"

"Right."

With a shrug, he finally settled on the seat opposite hers "Plus I'm sick of dating wannabe actresses."

"Hey, at least New York has models right? It's like their breeding spot or something."

"You grew up in Virginia, moved to New York City. Have you ever travelled anywhere else?" he asked, flicking back his floppy, curly dark hair.

"No."

"No? If you're not passionate about travel, what're you passionate about?"

"Writing." She said quietly, desperately wanting to change the subject. When they had finished their meal, he gave her a tour of the place as customary. Bonnie assumed that he must have given a lot of tours to a lot of women, especially models.

"Is that you?" she asked, nodding to a huge black and white picture of Enzo hanging over an unused fire place.

"Yes" he smirked, taking a sip of wine from his glass.

"You're very naked."

"You've never posed nude for an artist before?"

"No"

"You're missing out on a very visceral moment. It's an experience that leaves you naked emotionally…very vulnerable."

"Aha" she tried not to roll her eyes as she took another gulp of wine.

"It's beautiful." He smiled and continued to stare at his photo. She was starting to feel uncomfortable like she'd purchased tickets for a Broadway show only to be stuck in a seedy sex show.

"So…uhm…was asking me out a social experiment?" she stammered, staring into her glass.

"A social experiment?"

"You date models right?"

"I enjoy the company of beautiful women" he assured her and placed his hand on the small of her back.

"For like-minded conversation and all that, right?"

"And all that."

"Are you in fact a modelizer or just photographer who photographs models?"

"You have great eyes" he noted, avoiding her question.

"Uhmm…thank you?"

"Drama is only sexy for so long" he mused, fiddling with the tip of her dangling earing, "I want someone calm, nice and sweet." He said softly and Bonnie tried to imagine him with some nice, mousy-haired girl instead of the blondes with high cheekbones he was so accustomed to. Nope, they just didn't go together, it was like pairing Chanel with Topshop.

Distracting her from her assessment of him, he broke in with "I want some dessert; there's a café about three blocks down that serves the most amazing dessert."

"Uhmm…"

"No one can refuse a slice of coconut cream pie with extra cream" he licked his lips, making a point of staring deep into her eyes.

"I don't know…I think I might call it a night."

His hand was still resting on her lower back when he softened, "Stay and you might see the sun rise on the East River"

"That's quite a pick-up line" she smiled, shaking her head. He was quite relentless in his attempts to get laid but she was done with that. She was a new Bonnie, she was not about that life anymore.

"It's true, there's nothing like the view of the East River from the Upper East Side" Enzo coaxed, running the pad of his thumb along her jaw. _Shit, he's going to kiss me._ Just as she started retreating, one hand on the doorknob and the other clutching onto her purse, Enzo made his move. Cupping the nape of her neck with his hand, his mouth closed over hers.

His kiss was slow and tentative, his tongue teasing her mouth with slow but undeniable intention. He wanted to sleep with her and it certainly wasn't going to happen.

.

As she left Enzo's apartment, she contemplated about going to the club Katherine was talking about to meet the gang but the thought of elbowing through pulsating crowds of drunk people revolted her. She had a nice buzz and she didn't want to ruin it by having to argue with people stamping on her feet and so she decided to head home to watch revolving fan on her ceiling.

..

In the morning her head was throbbing but instead of sinking her face into her pillow like she had wanted to, she braved the sunlight and the office. Squeezing through the revolving doors, she stomped through the lobby and tried to catch an elevator going up to her floor.

"Hi" someone said and as she snapped her head back, she nearly suffered from whiplash.

"Hey." She mumbled, the hair on her arms already prickling at the sight of him.

The elevator binged and the doors slid open as she stepped inside with Kol following shortly behind. The car emptied as a handful of employees emerged from the lift. Great, she thought rolling her eyes. It was just going to be the two of them. She was going to be alone with Kol Mikaelson inside an elevator of all places with no possibly of an escape. Her heart pounded against her breastbone but she tried to play it cool by tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and watching the brass arrow of the indicator jump from number to number as the lift ascended.

"Great work on your new vlog" he murmured, his breath teasing the hair at the nape of her neck. Christ, was he standing that close to her?

"Thanks" Bonnie snapped her head back to glare at him. Big mistake because her eyes locked right onto his full, sensuous mouth. It took her a few seconds before she could will them back to the rest of his face.

"You writing anything interesting this week?" he asked, his brown eyes steady on hers. She stared right back, immensely aware of the closeness on his face and the fact that his lips were mere inches away from hers made her heart beat even faster.

"Yeah, I'm writing about butt plugs and raging assholes"

"You think you might be having a bit of buyer's remorse?" he raised an eyebrow, his voice surprisingly soft. The softness, the laid-back attitude of his voice and his lazy smile infuriated her. This was all a game to him. The tender smiles he gave her, the promises that promised nothing were all a game. He liked toying with her because he was really incapable of love.

"Buyer's remorse? How the heck do I have buyer's remorse when you're the one who's been running around here acting like a kid-adult!"

"That's pretty rich coming from you, nipple-gate"

"Nipple-gate? Really?"

"Thank you for that picture by the way, looking at it gets me hard all the time"

"Well that was not the purpose of the picture" she stuttered, he certainly knew how to work his damn voice and those damn stupid eyes.

"What was the purpose then?"

"It was a political statement."

"Well look at you, my little drunk Joan of Arc troll"

"How did I not realize what a giant ass you were when we were fucking?"

"Cause you were too busy cumming half the time, sweat-pea." His languid smile sent a jolt of electricity to her groin but not nearly as sharp as the abrupt jerk of the elevator.

"What just happened?" she asked, eyes as wide as saucers.

"I think we're stuck."

..

 _A/N: Rather short I know lol. Next chapter will focus more on Kennett and the friends._


	13. Power Play

"Okay, I cannot be stuck in here with you!" Bonnie pushed past him, banging her fists against the closed elevator doors.

"Ditto." Kol replied, running his hand through his gorgeously rumpled hair.

"Are you gonna do something?" she barked back at him, shooting him a glance over her shoulder.

"Why don't you do something, Joan of Arc?" he scoffed, pulling his phone out from his pocket. Swiping his finger across the screen, he tapped a number and lifted the phone to his ear. He looked so calm. _Why was he so damn calm?_

"I can't get a signal." He offered after a bit and astonished by his composed demeanour, Bonnie ripped the phone out of his hand and tried to call for assistance.

"I'll do it!" she snapped, furiously tapping 9-1-1 on the screen. While she was busy attacking his phone and trying to find a non-existent signal, Kol picked up the elevator's emergency phone and waited for someone to pick up. She half llistened as he spoke to someone on the other side of the line.

"They say it'll be about twenty minutes." He declared, putting the phone back on its cradle.

"Twenty minutes stuck in here with you?" she huffed, shoving his phone back in his hand and rifling through her PRADA knockoff tote for a bottle of water. She paused when she finally retrieved the bottle and wondered if she would be able to hold it in should she need to use the bathroom. Option one would be to soak her dress and embarrass herself in front of him and option two would be to pee on him, perhaps he was enough of a freak to like that sort of thing.

"We could think of somethin fun to do in twenty minutes. " Kol shrugged, giving her lopsided grin, "Any ideas?"

Before she could stop her gaze, it had already slid down to his crotch and she could feel his eyes on her. She knew that he loved the effect he obviously still had on her. She opened her mouth to say something but quickly closed it again when she noticed his gaze had dropped to her mouth.

She swallowed, her heart slamming against her chest.

He moved fast, closing the distance between them in two swift steps and grabbed her upper arms, pinning her against the wall. Without thinking, she parted her lips for him, heat shooting through her as his tongue brushed across hers. Catching his lower lip between her teeth, she slowly unzipped his pants while he fisted his hands in her hair.

"Fuck" Kol groaned, gripping her ass and kneading it.

"What are we doing?" she breathed, her nails digging his shoulders as she clung to him. He smelled so good.

"I don't know but I don't wanna stop." His response was muffled by her neck where he licked, suckled and nipped. Kol wrapped her legs around his lean waist, grasping her thighs and digging his nails into the plump flesh until he bruised her like a peach. He dipped his fingertips between her thighs, fingering the lace there until his fingers were deep inside her. His body was so hard pressed against hers, hard and as needy as the growl he breathed into their kiss. Grabbing her wrists, he pinned them against the wall with one hand while the other hooked one of her legs over the crook of his arm. Oh Christ, it would be so easy, she thought, swallowing his groans. It would be so easy for him to unzip his pants and thrust into her right here and now and holy fuck, she craved him but then what would happen after they both climaxed? They'd be back to square one of this complicated shit.

"Stop." She moaned breathlessly.

"Why?"

"I just… I can't do this…" she pushed him off and steadied herself. Kol watched her closely, his hands on his hips.

"I think I'm just a place you visit, a sensation you miss from time to time." The words felt thick as she said them.

"Bullshit," he scowled, cutting her off.

"It's true." She insisted, her eyes meeting his.

"What do you want, Bonnie?" his eyes cut into hers.

"That's the million dollar question, isn't it? "She spat back, not breaking the stare. Crossing her arms over her chest, she tilted her head up so that she could look at him through her fringe of eyelashes.

"What do you want?" she volleyed the question back to him.

"I miss you." He simply said, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed.

"You miss fucking me."

"I just miss you." The muscles in his jaw tightened, "Perhaps if we hadn't complicated things…"

"And how did we complicate things?"

"Maybe I shouldn't have invited you to the Hamptons…maybe it was too early."

"Which part are you regretting, inviting me out to your family's holiday home or fucking me in your family's holiday home?"

"Its not a holiday home, its more like a beach pad." His eyes twinkled momentarily as mischief eased its way into his half smile.

"Fuck you!"

"Bon, listen-"

"No, this is what you do. This is your little game that you play with me, kinda like how I'm always available when you need me, you can always reach me but I can never reach you. I've never even met any of your friends and you've met my friends. My stupid friends know you, my stupid friends know how stupid me feels about you and yet whenever I try to get inside that stupid heart of yours you pull this evading shit. "

"You've been trying to get inside my heart?"

"Do you even know anything about me?"

"I know you like silk scarves, dirty martinis and that thing I do with my tongue."

"You're something else." She shook her head, straightening her dress. _She just had to get out of here._

"You said you've been trying to get in my heart." He croaked before clearing his throat.

"Yeah, I was…its totally past tense now."

"Bonnie, I…"

"I'm seeing someone."

"You're fucking some new?"

"I said _seeing s_ omeone" she rolled her eyes, crossing her arms against her chest. With his mouth agape, he dropped his gaze down to the floor before his eyes darted back up to her face. Suddenly the elevator lurched twice then started up again and travelled up several floors. It was now or never she thought watching him, he had to say something if he wanted the same thing she did, he had to say something if he wanted to change the definition of their relationship from occasional booty-call fuck body to something more meaningful. He just had to say something….anything. He just stood thee staring at her dumbly.

He wasn't going to say anything to her was he? Bonnie nodded, swallowing back the tears that had begun to prick her eyes. She swallowed around the knot in her throat and when the doors flew open; she straightened her shoulders and stood tall before marching out of the elevator. She pushed her way past the waiting crowd and the service elevator men that were standing close to the lift and blinked away the tears. Maybe he didn't want to put himself out there but just how out there was she willing to put herself in return.

..

"I'm sure you can find a bunch of uninteresting people to talk about sex on camera." Hayley tossed her Chanel flap bag on the desk nearly toppling over a vase full of Casablanca lilies. She kicked off her PRADA mules and dug her painted toes into the new shaggy rug under her massive desk. She'd called Bonnie into her office for a quick briefing about what she expected from her for the week ahead.

"Is this the show's new direction?" Bonnie asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"It's a vlog, Bonnie. Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

Slowly, Hayley trailed her eyes down Bonnie's form and the sexpert could tell that her boss was evaluating her choice of outfit from the graphic print dress skimming her thighs to the wedge sandals on her feet then back to the tribal necklace around her neck before drifting back to her flushed face.

With a giant cup of Starbucks coffee, Leah zipped past Bonnie with a smile plastered on her pasty face.

"I got you a cup of freshly brewed organic coffee." Leah said, putting the coffee down on the desk in front of Hayley.

"Can I get you anything else, a gluten-free bagel, an energy salad?" Leah asked sweetly with a small curtsy.

"No!" Hayley snapped, shooting Leah a fierce glare that made her shoot out of the office as fast as she had rocketed in.

"Ehm, "Bonnie started again, clearing her throat before asking, "Is this the direction of the vlog?"

"Yes. We had a small brainstorming session and we're just trying out a few things."

"Who's we? Was there a weekly staff meeting I don't know about?"

"Never mind that just go do your job."

"Thank you, Hayley." She paused before asking, "Am I getting a camera man to help with the project?"

"Did someone die and make you Diane Sawyer?"

"No Hayley." She stammered, "Thank you." As she turned on her heel to exit the cold office and head back to her desk, Hayley's shrill voice called stopping her in her tracks.

"I need you to pick up me dress at the dry cleaners on Broadway."

"Your dress?"

"It's for that launch for Esther magazine Tuesday night?"

"The launch?"

"You know the party to officially launch Esther magazine formerly known as Moda magazine?" Hayley said, pulling out a ticket from her purse and handing it to Bonnie.

"Of course."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" she glared at Bonnie, "run along." She dismissed her with a wave of her hand, whipped her iPhone from her purse and started typing something furiously on the touchscreen.

..

The trip to the dry cleaner lasted at least an hour what with her scurrying her way around the city's congested traffic. By the time she returned to her office building, she was pretty sure she that she had soaked right through her dress. She ran through the lobby, stumbled forward; nearly toppling a figure clad in black but found her footing. The man in black wrapped his arms around her prompting her to push at his chest before she even realized who it was.

"We gotta stop meeting like this." Enzo purred, sweeping his gaze over her.

"Do you want to grab a drink or something after work?"

"At your place again?" she raised a sceptical eyebrow and held Hayley's dress closer to her chest.

"No" he chuckled, shaking his head.

"Nice dress, "he gestured to the wispy gray dress in the clear dry cleaning bag, "Is it for the Esther magazine party?"

 _That damn party gain! Was everyone in the office building in the loop except for her?_

"It's my boss's dress." She hissed, glaring at the thing draped across her arm.

"Oh, are _you_ going to the party?" he asked.

"You know what, my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail."

"You can be my plus one."

"I'm sure you have a bevy of models you can take with you."

"And yet here I am asking you."

"I don't know" she admitted, biting the corner of her bottom lip.

..

"Pizza?" Bonnie asked Matt as she held up her mobile phone. After the day she had at the office she was looking forward to winding down with her best friend and some good wine.

"No, I have officially renounced carbs," the blonde held up one hand, palm up, "besides, I've brought sushi." He indicated to the white plastic bag on his other hand before setting it on top of the tiny kitchen counter. Surveying the dishevelled room briefly before settling his gaze on Bonnie again, he smiled at her ratty t-shirt and pulled out a bottle of wine from the shopping bag.

"I heard about your little ordeal in the elevator." He smiled, taking out a platter of sushi from the plastic bag then removing the clear lid covering the container to reveal rows of California rolls, maki rolls, sashimi and a sprinkling of nigiri. She raised her eyebrow at him, wondering where he had gotten his information from when she realized that the only link between her bestfriend and office gossip was a little office harlot who penned the entertainment column.

"Katherine." Bonnie nodded, pointing at him with a pair of wrapped chopsticks she had retrieved from the bag. She retrieved two wine glasses from the cabinet and set them down on the counter in front of Matt.

"Did you have sex with him?" he asked while she poured them each a glass.

"We were stuck in an elevator!"

"Girl, that's not what I asked you." His lips quirked into a smile and he picked up his chopsticks, toying with the sliced ginger.

She took an urgent swig from her glass and relaxed as soon as tasted the chardonnay "No, I did not have sex with him." She sighed, breaking apart her wooden chopsticks then reaching across the table to snag a tuna sashimi with them.

"Good, I'm proud of you."

Bonnie opened her mouth to offer Matt a snide response but the sight of Caroline standing at the door interrupted her. Dropping her key in a ceramic bowl on a table by the entrance, she leaned against the door and heaved a sigh.

"You're home early. You hungry?" Bonnie waved, gesturing to her plate.

Smiling, Caroline slipped her bag off her shoulder and advanced toward them "Nah, I'm running late." She said and gave Matt's right shoulder a squeeze.

"You heading out?" Bonnies green eyes grew wide over the rim of her wine glass.

"Yeah, I'm meeting Tyler in an hour." She smiled weakly, glancing at the watch on her wrist before settling her eyes on the sushi decorating the table.

Tapping a finger on the side of his glass, Matt smiled mischievously and asked "Pre-fuck drinks at the bar again?"

"Well he said he was going to give me a key in a few weeks he's just sorting out a few things." Caroline smiled, raking both hands through her hair.

"I think you have a better chance of winning the lottery than getting a house key from Tyler." Matt rolled his eyes, exchanging a glance with Bonnie.

"And on that note!" Caroline playfully punched the side of Matt's arm and left the two to disappear into her bedroom.

"Did you know that Esther magazine is having a launch party on Tuesday night?" Bonnie darted a quick look at Matt as soon as Caroline left the kitchen.

Noticing that her glass was empty, he lifted the bottle and indicated to her glass with a smile, "Party and an open bar, two of my favourite things."

Nodding in the affirmative, she watched as he refilled her glass and sighed when she lifted it to her lips, "I found out from Hayley because Kol didn't even have the decency to invite me to that after everything we've shared."

"Was his mouth occupied the entire time during your elevator ride of passion?"

"There was no passion! I told you nothing happened."

"Then maybe he thought that you had a condom seminar that evening, what with you being a busy vlogging sexpert and all." Matt gestured to a lone piece of California roll and shaking her head, Bonnie prompted him to polish off the last piece.

"That's not funny." She furrowed her eyebrows, taking another sip of wine.

"I thought you'd moved on, that you weren't going to be hung up on men who treated you poorly anymore."

"I have." She muttered, staring into her glass and drawing her knees to her chest.

"Then can we please talk bout the amazing promotional pictures you took for the column and the photographer who cooked for you? When are the pictures scheduled to run on the side of buses anyway?"

"I don't know. I'm waiting for Hayley to gibe me the 411" She twirled her chopsticks around in the air as if she considered the outcome of the pictures and what it meant for her column.

"Can we toast?" Matt asked, startling her.

"To what?" she narrowed her eyes and looked at her friend suspiciously.

"I have a feeling that a star will be born." Matt grinned, tapping his glass against hers.

..


	14. Glitter Ball

Kol caught the tail end of a report about the Esther Magazine party on a fashion channel. Grabbing the remote control, he aimed it at the large flat screen TV and turned up the volume.

"Son of Wall Street tycoon, Mikael Mikaelson is officially launching Esther magazine next week Tuesday. The magazine is named after Esther Mikaelson, Mikael's wife and the family matriarch before her untimely passing to cancer six years ago. No word if the illustrious Mikael Mikaelson will be in attendance" the reporter announced.

Kol grunted, taking another sip of coffee from his mug. He was the new editor in chief of the magazine and there was no mention of his name in the report. He was merely the son of Wall Street tycoon Mikael Mikaelson. Sure, maybe he deserved being overlooked after spending the better part of a decade living off daddy's money in different parts of the world but it's not like Mikael had been complaining. In fact Kol believed that his father had liked having him depend on him for everything. That's how the son of a bitch got off. Then why did he even come back to New York to be assaulted by the memories of his mother, to be reminded of what he was and who he was not. Manhattan never cared who you really were, it was all about your last name and what you did. Perhaps coming back had been a mistake but then again he wouldn't have met Bonnie.

Slowly running a hand through his hair, Kol smiled. He replayed the kiss in the elevator, the feel of her lips, her skin and the way she had smelled as he'd buried his face in her hair. He tightened his grip around the mug as the memory swept over him.

Bonnie Bennett had been trying to get in his heart.

The ping of the elevator made his stomach sink, his assistant was early and he'd barely had time for a shower. He was dressed in a pair of gray sweatpants and nothing else. When Anna came bustling into the room, her six inch heels clanking on the hardwood floor, he muted the volume, stuck a hand in his pocket and turned around to face her as she advanced toward him.

"Mr Mikaelson" she greeted brightly, her eyes darting around the stark interior with buttery sunlight spangled over the floor and the panoramic views of the Hudson from the wall of windows before settling on him.

"You're early" Kol said, gruffly.

"I'm sorry but I was trying to beat the morning traffic." She explained then pulled out a yellow pad from her bag, dumping the tote on the black leather couch with chrome legs. Sitting down on the couch, she set her laptop down on the glass top table in front of her and flipped it open. While they waited for her laptop to boot up, he offered her a cup of coffee which she declined.

"I've been going over the projections for the launch like you asked and I found a few event planners with some pretty great credentials. I have a few quotes and proposal that I'd like you to look over and then-"

"I'm sure it's nothing you can't handle, Anna. I trust you" He said, breaking her stream of chatter.

"Yes Mr Mikaelson but this is your launch."

"Is it?"

"What?"

"Never mind." He said dismissively.

Anna chewed her lower lip and cleared her throat before swinging her eyes back up at him, "You're the Editor in chief of Esther magazine and this is your vision, isn't it?"

"Fine then I want a pajama party-"he gave her a crooked smile and fully expected her to rebuff him but when she shot him a big smile he was surprised.

"Very du jour" she clapped, "I'm thinking champagne cocktails with edible flowers and a bit of dim sum" she continued but the ringing of his mobile phone interrupted them.

"Yeah, sounds good." He fished his phone out of his trouser pocket and held up one finger indicating that she should give him a minute.

"Oh but then again, we've already sent the invitations and they said to dress for a cocktail evening."

"Then change them. I'll meet you back at the office, "he told her and signalled her to pack up her laptop as he greeted his eldest brother, Elijah.

..

It was Thursday morning and Bonnie's head was throbbing when she heard Hayley's grating voice in the hallway. The last thing she wanted to do was to deal with Hayley so early in the morning. She quickly dropped down to the floor, knees scraping on the carpet and hid under her desk right next to a box of sex toys that various companies sent her to review. Finding it difficult to crouch in her pantsuit, she kicked off her stilettos and worried that the grimy rug wouldn't do the winter white color of her pants any favors.

Someone knocked twice on the wall of her cubicle and Bonnie placed a hand over her mouth, trying not to breath. After some time had passed, she peered over the edge of the desk to make sure that the coast was clear and her gaze collided with Katherine's.

"Looking for your lost bag of skittles?" Kat leaned over the desk, her long necklace making a clanking sound as it hit the wood of the littered desk.

"More like hiding from the big bad wolf." Bonnie motioned for her to come around the desk.

"Hmm, I heard she was skulking around here." Kat shook her head and lowered herself to kneel on the floor beside her.

"So, about the Esther party-"Kat began, shooting Bonnie a generous smile.

Pinching Kat's upper arm, Bonnie sulked "Why didn't you tell me about that?"

"It's been in every e-mail and memo in the office"

"You know I don't read those unless they're from Hayley." She shrugged it off thinking she just had too much on her plate to be concerned about every single memo that landed on her tray or her mailbox.

"Hmm…anyway about the party, you know I'm part of the press so I have an invitation and I know you probably uhmm...don't...uh"

"I wasn't invited." Bonnie cleared it up for her.

"Yeah exactly so being the very good friend that I am, "Kat paused to fish something out of her pocket and handed it to Bonnie, "I got you an invitation"

"You didn't"." Bonnie stared at the black envelope for a long moment then slid her finger under the flap. She pulled out the thick black card inside and read the gold calligraphy. She lifted the card up to her nose and inhaled, catching a waft of chocolate and flowers.

"I did." Katherine stated with a self-satisfied smile on her face before quickly adding, "Of course the invitation is for Julianna Sanchez but I think you can pull it off."

"She's an actress, Kat and a very famous one at that. How am I going to pull of playing Julianna Sanchez, a Latino actress all night?"

"Then lie and say you're her assistant or something" Kat furrowed her trimmed eyebrows, the box in the corner already catching her eye.

"Her assistant?"

"Yeah, you'll tell them that she couldn't make it and she sent you in her place."

"I don't know." Bonnie ran the pad of her forefinger along the edge of the card.

"Well while you figure that out, can I take these?" Kat asked, glossy hair bouncing as she reached into the box to pluck out a pair of handcuffs.

..

On Friday night, the gang went to a party Enzo was having or rather as he called it, a drinks thing. The door opened and there stood Enzo with a tousled shock of dark hair and a lazy grin on his tanned face. Bonnie's eyes skimmed him over, lingering on the sarong loosely tied around his waist.

"Hi"

"Hi, please come in." he smiled, opening the door for the three of them.

"This is Matt and Katherine" Bonnie made the introductions.

'Kat" Katherine corrected her, offering Enzo her hand.

"Make yourselves at home. This is what you would call a party before the party." He drawled, directing them over to the lounge which was dotted with people drinking cocktails and wine.

"Why don't we kick things off with some shooters?" Enzo offered and without waiting for anyone to confirm his offer, he disappeared into the kitchen.

"Yum" someone said but Bonnie was already glancing around the interior and she could tell that the party had reached its plateau. It wasn't going to get any crazier than trivial conversations discussing fashion and the state of life in New York.

"Are you sure you can manage a shooter, you can barely move in that thing." Bonnie motioned to Kat's black latex mini dress.

"You let me worry about my liver and intestines." Katherine smiled, smoothing back her sleek dark hair.

"Is that electro music?" Matt asked with a grimace on his face.

"Yes, indeed it is." Bonnie replied, scanning the room again. It was filled with an eclectic mix of people who no doubt worked for Esther Magazine. She adjusted the square neckline of her metallic bandage mini-dress and ran a hand through her tousled bob.

"I feel like I just walked through a vortex of what the fuck." Matt scoffed, throwing an arm around Binnie's shoulder. A man with blonde dreadlocks hanging over his shoulders walked past them and Matt being Matt followed him with his eyes.

"Hey, "Mr Dreadlocks nodded, lifting his glass to salute Matt.

Whispering in Bonnie's ear, Matt said "Okay, just two of drinks and I'm going in."

"Your taste in men has always been a little suspect." Bonnie snorted, playfully elbowing his ribs.

"Is there an option to unfriend you right now?' Matt chuckled, pulling out his phone from his man bag and waving it in front of Bonnie's face.

"He could be the yin to my yang." He shrugged and glanced up at Enzo who had come back with their shooters.

"I detest your optimism right now. I think I like you better when you're riddled with sarcasm and doubt." Bonnie shot back at Matt and took the shooter on offer, tossing it down her throat. After handing them each a glass of chardonnay, Enzo disappeared again and Matt wandered off to find Mr. Dreadlocks. She watched as Matt and the dreadlocked guy shook hands and took a hefty sip of her wine.

"Wow" Katherine exclaimed, signalling to the oversized portrait of a naked Enzo mounted on the wall.

"I know, it's huge" Enzo appeared next to Bonnie with a refreshed glass of wine. The girls exchanged a glance before flicking their gaze back to him.

"I'm talking about the picture." He let out a short laugh, looking from Bonnie to Kat and back to Bonnie again.

"Naturally." Kat nodded, stealing Bonnie a side glance, "You plan to go back to L.A anytime soon?" she smiled mischievously. Bonnie knew exactly what her friend was doing. She was trying to gage how serious Enzo was about trying to form a relationship with her and if it was worth it for Bonnie to stick around.

"I'm a freelance photographer. I go where my work takes me."

"So you're renting this place?" Katherine pressed.

"A friend of mine lets me sublet it when I'm in town while he's in London for work."

"Nice friend." Kat noted.

"Ahem, would you mind?" Bonnie interjected, holding up her glass to indicate the need for a refill.

"Not at all, gorgeous." Enzo said, brushing her hair from her face before taking her empty glass.

"You wanna check out RIP?" Bonnie turned to Katherine as soon as Enzo walked off.

"Nah, it's Friday and they'll probably have a bridge and tunnel crowd tonight." Kat shook her head, scoping the room for talent. Bonnie's phone buzzed in her purse and she pulled it out, swiping the screen to read a text from Caroline.

"Care-bear is here." She informed Katherine and a moment later, Enzo was at the door welcoming Caroline and Tyler.

"Late as usual." Bonnie greeted her friend, kissing both her cheeks. As the party swelled, Caroline pulled Bonnie aside to show her something. She opened her hand to reveal a shiny silver key lying on her palm.

"He did it; he gave you a key to his apartment." Bonnie exclaimed, clearly surprised. She didn't think that Tyler had the balls to do it.

"Yes."

"It looks…shiny. Did it come with fireworks, dinner and a key chain?"

"At first I thought getting his key would be romantic then I thought it would be practical. Now here I am with this thing in my hand and my boyfriend drinking champagne on the other side of the room and I feel like I'm stuck in the middle."

"Well…you got it now, sista." Bonnie shook her head and downed the last of her drink.

"How about a refill?" Enzo asked, taking their glasses before they could protest. The guy had a neck for creeping up on her, she thought as she smiled at him.

"He's cute." Caroline smiled and gestured to Enzo once he was out of earshot.

..

"Clearly you never read the single woman's guide to finding, choosing and keeping a fuck buddy." Katherine panted, releasing the handles on the treadmill as she broke into a full sprint. An endless loop of eighties music streamed from the inside the gym.

"Oh teach me oh great one." Bonnie rolled her eyes. She was breathing hard and fast, trying to sweat out the drinks from last night. It was Saturday and the gym was practically empty.

Struggling to regain her breath, Kat wiped a hand across her brow and grinned, "Too late, clearly you're fucked."

"How was your date with the yoga teacher?" Bonnie questioned, she'd almost forgotten about that particular guy in Kat's endless stream of men.

"It wasn't a date. I threw the dice, moved the pieces around the board but he didn't make a move." She admitted, slowing the treadmill to a walk.

Bonnie blinked owlishly eliciting a deep sigh from Katherine who finally rolled her eyes and admitted," He's celibate, he didn't want to fuck."

"Subtlety has never been one of your strong points."

"You're right, I should've just asked him if he wanted to fuck after the class rather than wait two days for a date over a pot of green tea."

"Again not what I meant. I thought this guy would finally restore your faith in mankind." Bonnie struggled, her legs shaking from the incline.

"Faith is for people who believe in something. I'm Katherine Piece and I don't believe in a husband, 2.5 kids or a dog"

"Oh yeah" Bonnie shook her head and reached for her towel.

"Nope, it's back to Wall Street types for me. We speak the same language; no strings attached sex, fun, money and lots of sex. New York is the best city to live when you're young, single and horny."

..

That evening Bonnie had invited Matt over her apartment to watch the Hills and to oversee her outfits for the much anticipated party.

"Is that what you're wearing?" Matt arched an eyebrow, looking her slowly up and down.

"What's wrong with it?" she looked down at the paisley nightie then back up at Matt who was lying on the fold out couch, a bowl of buttered popcorn in one hand and a glass of mojito in the other.

"You look provincial like an extra from Amish" Matt yawned, shaking his head in disapproval.

With her chin jutted out she considered Matt's displeasure and simply said "Perhaps that's the look I'm going for"

"If Kol Mikaelson was farmer Brown" he rolled his blue eyes, launching a pile of popcorn into his mouth.

"E-I-E-I-O…and on his farm he had a cow with a moo-moo here and a moo-moo there" Bonnie said in a sing song voice, feigning nonchalance. She hated to admit that she didn't have a better choice of outfit because nothing was better than a brand new outfit and she couldn't even afford that because her credit card was maxed out. She recalled getting her credit card bill earlier in the month and the statement reflected a bunch of purchases from Saks which included not only a pair of Giuseppe Zanotti skeletal fish sandals but also a wine decanter she had no use for and there were the wine purchases from Dean and Deluca.

"Slut" Matt laughed, throwing popcorn at her.

"Cunt" she smiled and ducked the ambush. After considering the outfit and his statement, she swung her eyes back at him and asked, "Who said this outfit was for Kol? Did you forget that I'm going to the ball with Enzo?"

"Did you forget that you're only dragging that sinfully hot photographer to that party so you can make the prince jealous?"

"That's a lie"

"You love drama, you thrive on it and this is you being a total drama queen"

"I don't like drama. I love a challenge and I don't want Kol anymore" she countered then paused to explain, "I mean it's not like I'm gonna wake up one day in his bed just so we can eat pancakes and drink champagne while overlooking the Hudson River."

"Oh honey, is that what you dream about, eating pancakes and looking at a piss filled Hudson?" Matt gave her a mock pout.

"It's my Sunday in New York fantasy."

"Does this mean we would have cancelled our Sundays drinking Bellini's and reading the vows section in the New York Times?"

"Yes judgy, heterosexual love would have done us part" Bonnie stuck out her tongue, "besides what happened to moving to DC with your dance partner for life?"

"You hoping I fall off the face of the earth?" his eyes widened, a smile threatening to tug at his lips. Bonnie smiled, one eyebrow arched and waited for him to say what he needed to say.

With a sigh, he took another sip of his drink and said "Let's just say that Mr D.C isn't quite ready to leave his wife."

"What can I say, they never do." She gave him a reassuring smile then looked back at the pile of clothes on the floor.

Plucking out a kimono from the pile, she held it up for him to see and asked "What about this one?"

"Beeyoooootiful!" Matt exclaimed, "I can't believe you're actually going to this party. What did Enzo say when you called him?"

"He was excited or as excited as any man who had a few options sounds when one of those options decides to go out with him."

"Can I come?" he asked bashfully and when she didn't reply immediately, he did that mock pout thing with his mouth again.

"Oh come on, you can slip me in your clutch. I wanna drink free champagne and look at all the beautiful people."

"You mean you wanna get drunk and criticize all the underfed models."

"I do have an extra invitation card. Kat gave it to me but I don't need it." She said thoughtfully.

"And you're only telling me this now?" Matt nearly sprang off his seat, plunking the bowl of popcorn on the table in front of him.

"I was going to ask Caroline. She seems like she needs something to get her spirits up."

"Seriously?" he raised his voice, throwing his hands in the air.

Looking flushed and perplexed, she stepped back and tightened her grip around her kimono "What?"

"You're unbelievable" with a huff, his stuffed his feet back into his Gucci loafers and grabbed his red scarf.

"Matt, where're you going?" she called, "It's just a stupid party"

"A stupid party you would've given your right arm to go to. It's a good thing you found a guy you can use for a ticket."

"Matt" Bonnie's voice croaked but she didn't move from her spot.

"Who's the hypocrite now?" he asked and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

..

When Enzo pulled up in front of her brownstone apartment in a cab on Tuesday night, she had half expected to see him dressed in something eclectic but when he climbed out of the taxi in a pair of black leather pants, a snake print t-shirt and a fringed scarf she was taken aback. She took tentative steps toward him, smiling cautiously as her eyes swept over him. He pushed off the cab he had been leaning against and advanced toward her.

"What happened to your PJ's?" she pointed with her Koi fish clutch, her eyes taking in the details of his getup.

"I usually sleep in the nude so I don't know what's expected of me." He shrugged then took her hand in his, lifting it to his lips. "I don't like clothes."

"I think I've gathered that about you." She said casually, climbing into the back of the cab and sliding across the bench as he sidled in next to her. They spent the entire ride discussing Enzo's work in Paris and London to which he kept telling her that she just had to travel. She was listening intently to his tales about Paris when he reached out and held her hand.

She didn't pull away.

The yellow cab pulled up in front of a converted warehouse on a string littered with clubs and upscale restaurants. Stepping out of the cab, Bonnie's Zanotti sandals touched cobblestone as a slight breeze rifled through her hair, making her bare arms shiver. She was dressed in a black chemise and cheeky little lace trimmed shorts with a sleeveless cherry blossom kimono thrown over the outfit. They were in the Meatpacking District and walking along the cobblestone streets was an art form. Bonnie noticed that the party was already buzzing as party-goers walked through the red carpet amidst flashing cameras. She spotted a dozen celebrities with a model or two on their arm as they smiled and posed for the cameras.

Taking a deep breath, she glanced at Enzo who gave her a reassuring smile before they both stepped in front of the cameras. As she had predicted, the paparazzi didn't take that many pictures of her because she was a nobody except for that time when kissing socialite Sophie Devereaux had landed her on page six. When they reached the door, Enzo presented their invitation to a woman in a black nightdress and a draping of pearls around her neck.

"Welcome to the party" she smiled, ushering them in with a dramatic sweep of her hand.

Music poured over them as soon as they crossed the threshold. Bonnie recognised the beat; it was something vintage by Madonna. A suspended ceiling of pink roses and sparkling lights hung over the dance floor where a brave few were already out showcasing their moves.

"Bonbon!" Katherine came charging toward them, her paisley print fringed night dress flapping behind her. She almost stumbled in her lace up sandals with towering heels but caught her footing just as her martini sloshed over her hand. Caroline, with her eye mask pulled over her head like a headband was following shortly behind.

"This party is amazing; anybody who is anybody in New York fashion is here" Kat cried cheerfully, her eyes big and wide as they took everything in.

"And it's a gold mine for my blog." Caroline chimed in, quaffing down her third glass of champagne.

"Guys, you remember Enzo?"

"Of course" Kat nodded, raising her glass at him.

"Hey" Caroline acknowledged him with a generous smile. After an awkward silence, he wrapped an arm around Bonnie's waist and pulled her closer to him.

"Later?" he asked, kissing the top of her head.

"Later." She agreed and the three girls watched him walk away and worm his way through the beautiful crowd. As soon as he left, Bonnie started peering over the heads of the crowd as if she was searching for someone.

"Who're you looking for?" Kat asked, following her eyes.

"Nobody."

"Mr M.?" Caroline raised an eyebrow.

"Mr M?" Bonnie acted lost. She knew exactly who her friends were talking about.

"Mr Moneybags." Katherine reiterated.

"Kol is hardly what you'd call a fat cat. He's more like an adventurous drifter with a neck for spending he's family's money" Bonnie pointed out, chasing the spite in her voice with a gulp of champagne she snatched from a passing server.

"So he's a blueblood asshole" the blonde remarked with a shrug.

"Exactly." Bonnie nodded vehemently, her eyes still seeking him in the crowd. When she finally found him, she took in a sharp breath and observed as a petite brunette said something to him before they walked out of her field of view. From the brief glimpse she'd seen of him, she could tell that he was looking deliciously sexy tonight.

"Well his name is still synonymous with money and status so to me he's still Mr. Moneybags." Her friend was saying and Bonnie's gaze slid back to Katherine.

"Bonnie!"

"Hi, Hayley" she said, nearly spilling her champagne.

"I didn't know you'd be here." Hayley stated, looking at her suspiciously while she eyed her outfit. Hayley's black Chantilly lace nightdress traced her curves, the elegant hem sweeping the floor. It looked like something from an Elie Saab collection rather than a nightdress and around her slender wrist was a pearl and diamond cuff that kept winking everytime she lifted her flute to take a sip.

"Don't forget to have that report first thing on my desk tomorrow." She reminded her and Bonnie saw Kat and Caroline slip away quietly to give her time with the dragon.

"Yes, Hayley." She nodded even though she really just wanted to stick her tongue out at her. As soon as her boss left, Bonnie snatched a hors d'oeuvre from a waiter and took a bite, her eyes seeking Kol again. It was a Soft boiled eggs filled with caviar that melted on her tongue.

"Bon"

She would've recognised that voice anywhere. Whipping her head around, she was face to face with Kol Mikaelson. Slowly he started toward her and she felt her pulse jump. It took all her willpower not to run like a frightened schoolgirl with a stupid crush.

With her hand placed over her mouth, Bonnie mumbled around a mouthful "Hi, Kol"

"You came." He noted as if he'd invited her. The anxiety building in the pit of her stomach made her feel dizzy and she had to take another sip of champagne to steady herself.

"Here's to the man of the hour" she levelled him with a glare.

"You look gorgeous." He drawled in his delicious twang and disarming smile.

"And you look naked." She spat, trying to seem unaffected, "What do you want?" Her eyes took a tour of his body from the broad shoulders clad in a hooded dressing gown to the white boxer briefs that failed to contain him.

He was beautiful and he knew it.

"You" he said in the kind of voice that dishevelled mornings in bed must sound like and the knot in her stomach tightened.

"I'm here with someone and you're interrupting my date."

"Bo, "he made a grab for her arm and she allowed him to stop her.

Kol snagged two glasses of champagne from a passing server and handed one to her. Hesitating, she looked out onto the dance floor where Enzo was talking to a reedy redhead and when she focused her gaze back on Kol, she took the glass.

"I didn't invite you to this thing because this is not who I am. Sure its who my family wants me to be and sometimes I think its who I need to be but.."

She stared down at her champagne glass, her heart racing as she waited for him to continue.

He cleared his throat and said "I just wanted to keep you in my little box, my little private island where I didn't need to share you with the world and the idea of what they want me to be."

"Don't you see, I'm only truly myself when I'm with you." He murmured, reaching out to touch her cheek but she ignored the shiver that rolled through her and shook her head, stepping back from him.

"Bo, Bonnie-" he whispered, drawing his eyebrows.

"I need to get out here" she shook her head, not wanting to look at him.

"Bo"

"Don't follow me."

While everyone was flocking to the roof to experience the show of fireworks, she was running outside to hail a cab.

"Bonnie!" Enzo called after her and got there just in time as a cab pulled up in front of her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, studying her face.

She fingered the delicate gold necklace around her neck and took another sip of her drink before gesturing to the glass in her hand with a weak smile, "Yeah, I'm sorry but the champagne was going right through me."

"I need to go home." She swallowed back the lump in her throat.

"Then home it is" he slung his arm around her shoulder and ushered her into the back of the taxi.

When the cab deposited her in front of her apartment building, she was dumbfounded to find that Enzo had climbed out of the car with her and as it pulled away, tires screeching, she blinked owlishly at him.

"What are you doing?" she asked and her voice seemed to echo ion the night beyond the noise of distant traffic and nightlife. A warm breeze shuffled her hair, tossing the tails of her kimono and she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I just want to spend more time with you."

"Enzo-"

"I'll sleep on the couch."

"What if I don't have a couch?"

"Then I'll take the floor."

"Fine but I swear if you try anything-"her words ran together as she stumbled back in her skyscraper heels. She manage to catch her footing and a suppressed a hiccup simultaneously.

"I won't." he pleaded, holdings his palms up. She took a breath and beckoned him to follow her to the brownstone building's entrance which was already gated and locked.

"No doorman here" Bonnie said over her shoulder while rifling through her clutch for a key.

"It's a walk up" she explained after they crossed the threshold. Her heels clacked on the tiled lobby while his sneakers slapped the glossy surface.

"I'm on the fourth floor" she told him, pointing to a flight of stairs on her left.

..

Her phone bleated, rousing her from her sleep and Bonnie patted the nightstand, searching for it in the dark.

"Hello" her voice cracked.

"Bonnie, I wanna come up!" he slurred his words and she shifted in the bed before sitting up, rubbing her eyes with the heel of her hands.

"Who is this?"

"Your boyfriend, darling"

Her heart started pounding and slamming into her ribs when she heard the response.

"Kol, you're drunk."

"And I'm outside."

..


	15. I Heart NY

"Firstly you're not my boyfriend" she hissed through gritted teeth, pulling the sheet over her head to muffle her voice. Enzo was sleeping on the sleeper couch in the lounge and she didn't want to wake him.

"Am too" Kol insisted.

"You're not!"

"What's the second thing?"

"What?"

"You said firstly so what's the second thing?"

"Secondly, go away!"

"Will not"

"Go away"

"Shan't"

"I miss making you come." He lowered his voice and she had to shift against the mattress again, clenching her eyes shut. She crossed her legs but the throbbing between them remained, suddenly inflamed by the treble of his voice.

"Kol" she warned.

"I miss slipping my fingers inside you. I miss fucking you."

"Kol" she closed her eyes, breathing sharply.

"Yes, darling?" he drawled, gorgeous and unaffected.

"Please go away"

"Do you want me to cause a scene?" his voice was soft but she could sense the intent in it "Because if you don't-"

"Fine" kicked off the sheets and climbed out of bed.

"I'm coming down." she whispered, phone wedged between her cheek and shoulder as she rustled into an oversized coat. She tiptoed on the balls of her feet, trying to find a comfortable pair of shoes to wear from items strewn on the floor. Coming up empty handed, she decided to brave the sidewalk with her bare feet. Quietly, she passed the lounge where Enzo was snoring, sheet thrown over his naked body barely covering his cock.

..

Her feet slapped against the stairs, one hand on the railing while the other held the phone as she spoke to Kol. Finally the soles of her feet touched the cool pavement when she pushed through the glass doors and exited her building.

Alfred, who had been leaning against a gleaming black town car, knocked once on the tinted back window at the back before walking around the car to take his position behind the steering wheel. Bonnie watched as the passenger door opened, Kol's hand on the door handle as smoke wafted out of the car. He leaned forward, a cigar held between his teeth. Plucking the cigar out of his mouth, he winked as a slow sloppy smile broke across his face. His gaze locked on hers and a smile threatened to work the corners of her mouth as he staggered out of the car holding a half-empty bottle of champagne.

"Did I wake you?" he asked, stumbling toward her, seizing her shoulders clumsily.

"What do you think?" Bonnie shot him a look and stepped back from his grasp.

"Can I come up?" he asked, pointing his dimpled chin up at the brownstone behind them.

"No."

"Come away with me."

"Just like that?"

"Come on, embrace life!" he yelled, spinning around with his arms stretched out and his face tilted up to a blooming sky.

"I miss you." He declared, first at the heavens and then lowering his eyes, he addressed her. His eyes softened and he closed the distance between them. She didn't move, struck by the warmth in his eyes.

"Maybe I'm not this guy you believe me to be." He lowered his head, his breath fanning her face, his lips inches from hers. He reached up to stroke the curve of her jaw, then her chin and the corner of her lips.

"I don't know who I'm supposed to be anymore" he said quietly, his eyes grazing her lips. Time didn't move at all nor did the air that had stirred the leaves dangling off reedy trees dotting the pavement.

"I have this theory that you are who you are when no one is watching when nothing is expected of you." She said quietly.

When his eyes locked with hers, his were ringed with a gold that seemed to grow brighter as the darkness in the street cleared. The air in her lungs stilled as his eyes took pleasure caressing her face but he broke the moment by pulling back and taking another swig from the bottle.

"I can't be myself in New York. I can't be me at Esther." He said softly, almost to himself. She watched the first lights of dawn dance across his hair and shook her head trying to recollect why she was out here at the crack of dawn instead of her apartment, nestled in her bed.

Clearing her throat, she said "So you're running away from your life."

"This is not my life. I'm just leaving New York." He admitted, not looking at her but rather to his left beyond the greasy streets of East Village to where the world lay waiting between dark and dawn, caught between two worlds just like Kol.

Suddenly he turned to her; his eyes frenzied," Come away with me."

For the briefest of moments she imagined throwing caution to the wind, sliding her hand in his and running away with him. Then reality struck when his stubble grazed her cheek and she smelled the whiskey on his breath.

"Me running away with you won't solve any of your problems." She said, jerking away from him. Crossing her arms against her chest, she looked beyond him, beyond the waiting town car and the gated shop lining the street to the rooftops where the dawn was bleeding pink and purple. Morning chill seeped in through the fabric of her clothes and she swung her eyes back to him.

"I can't fix you, Kol." She murmured and her voice echoed, suspended in time in the waking universe. Light fell on his shoulders and he turned up the collar of his jacket. Running away wasn't the best move for her especially with the possibilities of her column. She couldn't just abandon everything, she couldn't bet everything on him and what he might feel for her particularly when whatever he felt for her could disappear any day.

"Good things are starting to happen for me." She smiled and tried to slow her racing heart.

"Let's go back to the beginning-let's start over and then maybe we might be able to save each other." Kol pleaded, his thumb tracing the mouth of the bottle. He didn't look at her but the pull of his eyes was still strong, tugging at places she'd long forgotten in the pits of her stomach.

"Isn't that what you were looking for the other night?" he asked, his gaze jumping back at her.

"The other night?" she asked.

"Online, weren't you looking for someone to save you?" he queried and she could see the fear in his eyes, a flash before his eyes fled hers again.

"I was looking for a story" she told him.

"And I was looking for a connection." He admitted, glancing back over his shoulder at the waiting car.

"Is that what they call casual sex these days?" Bonnie challenged him and swallowed the knot in her throat.

He ignored her jab but rather struck her with his tormenting eyes again, "You said you were trying to get to my heart."

"I was."

"I didn't know."

"How could you know?" she murmured, cutting her eyes to the car.

"I thought about it…you, me…us." His voice trailed off as he stepped back, moving away toward the car. She realized that he was walking away and she wanted to scream but her voice wouldn't come out. He opened the door and climbed inside the car not bothering to look back over his shoulder. Slowly, he rolled down the window and leaned out. He smiled and the window rolled back up, leaving her standing on the curb with her arms wound around her coat.

Maybe New York couldn't contain him or maybe he was just a coward.

..

When she walked back into her apartment, she was greeted by the hiss of a kettle and the gurgle of boiling water poured into ceramic mugs. Enzo stood at the small kitchen island, tanned barefoot and lithe in tiny black briefs and a tangle of dark hair touched by morning sunlight.

"I hope you don't mind." He lifted the kettle and indicated to a pair of mugs on the island top in front of him.

"Not so much the coffee but the uh-"she pointed to his briefs.

"Sorry." He shrugged and shimmied into a pair skinny leather pants that had been flung over the couch. Bonnie noticed that the couch was still unmade and that a tangle of sheets now trailed the floor. She tracked him with her eyes as he wandered back into the small kitchen, rummaging through cabinets for sugar. She pointed him in the right direction and stood for a moment, watching him and transfixed by how well at ease he was in a stranger's apartment. She hadn't been embarrassed about asking him to stay over even though he'd insisted and she'd been drunk when she agreed but even now having him in her space didn't bother her like it would've bothered her had it been Kol because she didn't care about his opinions of her. He couldn't harm her, not the way Kol could harm her because she wasn't in love with him.

"Are you seeing anyone?" Enzo asked and she didn't turn to him. Slowly, she collected the sheets from the floor and laid them in a neat bundle on the sleeper couch. The stretched out couch made her apartment appear even smaller than what it was.

"Uhm-no, why?" she finally shot him a glance, the stifling summer heat already making the hairs at her nape stick to her skin. She looked out the window again and noticed that the shadows on the floor of the apartment were receding, chased by beams of sunlight that made the floor shimmer.

"Just a question. How about lunch today?" he held up a mug and brought it to his lips.

With a sigh, she approached the kitchen, "I can't, I have a lot of work. I'm supposed to write a report for Hayley and I'm nowhere finished with the draft."

"Dinner then" he asked, tilting his head down to stare into his coffee.

"Dinner?" Bonnie smiled feebly and picked up her coffee mug. She wrapped both hands around the circumference of the mug and felt the warmth seeping into her palms.

"Come on, throw me a bone here." He flashed a cheeky smile.

"What's your agenda?" she gave him an amused stare over the rim of her mug. The coffee was too weak and too sweet and so she set the mug back down on the counter.

"Huh?"

"Are you looking for something long term or are you merely chasing a fuck?"

"I'm excited about you and the possibilities." He shrugged, corking an eyebrow.

"What is-?"

He silenced her with a kiss, soft, his fingers tangling in the sweat soaked hairs at the nape of her neck before pulling back to gaze down at her.

"Call me when you're ready." He said, grabbing the rest of his clothes as he walked out of the apartment.

..


	16. The Awful Truth

"Someone's looking rough." Damon muttered under his breath and ripped the lid off his cup of coffee. He peeled back the paper napkin and took a long, slurping sip just to annoy her.

Bonnie gave an exasperated sigh over the rustle of newspapers and hum of conversation. She was forced into the rear wall of a crowded elevator, shoulder to shoulder with the loath of her life, Damon Salvatore. This besides her obvious hang over meant only one thing; her day had already gone to shit.

When she said nothing, he proceeded to egg her on, "I heard your face is scheduled to run on the side of the bus."

"Yup. Photo-shoots done and dusted." She smiled, keeping her eyes straight ahead. They happened to be locked on to the back of a suit with wavy dark hair and broad shoulders encased in an obviously expensive suit. Bonnie lifted her cup and took a swig of coffee through a small slit in the lid. She didn't want to remove her lid like Damon had done just in case the contents of her coffee splattered all over her fuscia shift-dress.

"What's the tagline? Cynical hag vlogs about sex?"

Eyes narrowed, she finally turned to look at him, her peacock feather earrings grazing her neck "You're jealous?"

"Me, jealous? Don't be ridiculous."

Not bothering to supress her smile behind her Starbucks cup, she leaned her head against silver wall of the elevator and watched as a string off people got off on to their floor. The doors slid shut again and they resumed their ascent.

Memories of her and Kol stuck in an elevator were still raw and she fought back the knot in her belly when they came flooding back. They were done and he'd told her as much. She shut her eyes and kept them closed in an attempt to shut off the onslaught of memories and Damon's grating voice. When the doors pinged again, they both stepped out onto the polished marble floors of the office while the rest of the people in the elevator proceeded to the top floor where Esther Magazine was housed.

She hurried down the hall, dashed into her cubicle and before she could even throw her envelope shoulder bag on her desk, Leah was at her door citing that Hayley wanted to see her.

..

When Bonnie entered the cool office, Hayley was leaning against her high backed leather chair behind her desk, legs propped on her desk and hands curled around a cup of Dean & Deluca coffee.

"How far are you with my report?" she asked, studying Bonnie over the rim of the cup.

"I'll have it on your desk by lunch time." Bonnie announced but Hayley held up a hand to silence her. She set her mug down on the desk, a trace of red lipstick on the rim and leaned forward, elbows on the desk as she steepled her fingers under her chin.

"If you would put as much effort in your work as you do your social life, you would go very far. No. I want the report on my desk no later than nine o'clock which means that you have one hour." She said then made a show of glancing at her watch.

With a quick nod, Bonnie spun around and headed back toward the door when the sound of Hayley clearing her throat made her halt in her steps.

"You should know, "Hayley spoke to her back as Bonnie faced away from her. With her hand poised over the door knob, Bonnie waited for whatever was coming.

"No one survives Kol Mikaelson. You can't make him stick. He loves himself and adventure way too much to ever settle in one place. I'm surprised he's stuck around New York this long."

"He left New York." The words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them. She waited for Hayley to ask her how she knew that, what she'd been doing with Kol but she didn't ask.

"Then you better get to that report. You start filming this afternoon."

"Yes Hayley." She flung the door open and shut it quietly behind her.

..

By early noon, she was running around Broadway cruising for a story for her vlog. She approached couples, single straight men, gay men and asked all of them the vital question. How many times a week were New Yorkers getting laid?

After two hours on the streets she found out a few things about New Yorkers, they hated being interrupted in the middle of their work days but they loved talking about their sex lives, the average New Yorker had sex three times a week which behoved her since the average New Yorker was single. When and how were they having all this sex when she could barely get a guy to notice her? Well perhaps that wasn't entirely true, she reasoned since she'd had an ongoing sexual relationship with Kol and Enzo had seemed interested in her.

Maybe the issue wasn't with New Yorkers and their rampant sexual appetites. The problem was their failure to commit. If they couldn't commit to a job, an apartment, a restaurant or bar, how could they commit to a relationship? The city was full of options and New Yorkers were spoiled for choice.

Feeling slightly peckish, she spotted a small bakery located between an Apple store and an old bookstore. She could smell the aroma of freshly baked bread the minute she crossed over the threshold. Once inside the shop, her eyes coasted over the items for purchase, the clientele and the rest of the customers seated outside under a blue and white awning. When she saw they sold the almond croissant that Matt loved, she plucked up some courage, retrieved her phone from her bag and scrolled down to Matt's number. Bonnie was pretty sure that he still hated her for taking Caroline to the Esther party instead of her. She listened; waiting for him to pick up then took a breath when he answered.

"Hey, you wanna do lunch?" Bonnie tried to sound cheerful.

"I can't, I have a domestic dispute case to argue in court in about thirty minutes." Matt's voice sounded flat and subdued making her heart sink.

"You want me to grovel don't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're avoiding me." She stressed as she approached the display counter.

"No because trying to avoid you would mean that I actually care and I don't."

"You need to know that I will do whatever it takes to get back in your nook. I'm talking John Cusack's boombox scene, I'm talking Tom Cruise bursting inside a room full of women and announcing "You complete me" to his secretary or whatever. I'm talking Richard Gere on that stupid fire escape with a bunch of roses for Julia. I was stupid, dumb and moronic. Please take me back."

"You hurt me."

"I know."

"This will cost you."

"Cupcakes?" Her eyes settled on red velvet cupcakes inside a display counter. She leaned closer to examine the cakes inside the glass.

"No."

"Sushi, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese-and by Chinese I mean that Chang guy at Temple in East Village who always gives you an extra mojito on the house."

"The one with the _I love Vanilla shirt_?"

"Really? I swore it said _I love Milli Vanili_."

"That actually makes it worse."

"Oh come on, I'm sure he has hidden depth somewhere deep deep within."

Matt sighed and said, "Anyway back to my rate for forgiveness."

"A Moet & Chandon magnum?" Bonnie offered again.

"No I want one of your Hermes scarves."

"No." she gasped.

"Yes."

"That's like asking for my first born or something."

"I know."

"Ok fine but not the equestrian print scarf or the Aztec print of the butterfly print or that African print with the little-."

"I'll take the green scarf."

"Fine."

"Great."

"How goes with the Rastafarian?"

"It went."

"You slept with him?"

"No judgy. I just had dinner with him. I had to do something while my cunty friends were out having fun without me."

"Do you like him?"

"He's tolerable. Listen, I gotta run. Later."

"Later."

..

Not wanting to go back to her empty apartment, Bonnie met Caroline and Katherine at Amor, a small bar two blocks from her apartment. The bar was small with mostly standing room available so they had to stand around a high round table, elbows on the surface as they chatted about their day.

"Will I ever get over him?" Bonnie blew hair off her forehead only to sulk when it flopped back.

"Of course. You were with him for three months right?" Caroline asked, using a plastic stirrer to stir her Long Island cocktail.

"Two months." Bonnie sipped dolefully on her rum and coke.

"Then you will get over him in a month." the blonde informed her cheerfully, "It takes half the time you dated to get over someone."

"Where do you get this information, women's weekly?" Kat rolled her eyes and snorted.

"I read Vogue thank you very much."

"He's a coward." Katherine said matter-of-factly, turning to Bonnie after giving Caroline a wink.

"Maybe he needed time to clear his head." The ever optimistic blonde offered again and Bonnie wondered when she'd become a fan of Kol's.

She wasn't sure what she had been expecting to hear but her friends' deductions seemed to make things worse. Who was to say he was a coward if he wanted to keep things on a casual basis? Who was to say he needed time to clear his head if he knew that Bonnie wasn't really the one even when he couldn't bring himself to say it. Maybe he wasn't built for serious relationships. Maybe the lack of communication had fucked things up? Perhaps she was the coward for not taking the leap at adventure with him.

There were so many variables.

"All New York men are untrustworthy bastards." Kat said and Bonnie waited expectantly for her to expand on her theory. Realizing that Katherine wasn't going to explain her statement, she lifted her glass to take a sip and noticed the wet ring it had made on the table. She used a napkin to wipe the surface and set the glass back down.

Wanting to deviate the conversation away from Kol, Kat began "Last night I was sucking this guy off and do you know what the bastard did?"

"New guy?" Bonnie asked absentmindedly.

"Yeah, some suit I met it that Esther party. He's got a useless dick but he's a big spender."

"So what did he do, come in your mouth?"

"No he peed in my mouth."

"Disgusting." Caroline squirmed, making a face.

"I know. I threw him out right after he gave me head." Katherine said, checking out the waiter at the neighbouring table.

"Tyler's brother is having a bar opening this Saturday. You wanna come?" Caroline asked while she dug through her handbag. She pulled out two flyers and handed them to Katherine and Bonnie.

"Aren't we going to that new rooftop bar at Azure?" Kat raised an eyebrow and barely looked at the glossy flyer, tossing it aside in favor of her mojito. She proceeded to poke her straw in between a crush of ice before sucking down her drink.

"Yeah." Bonnie nodded, her eyes dancing over the bold print and the image of a Tiki bar.

"Well we can't bail on Mason. We gave him our word that we'd tend the bar." Caroline shrugged.

"Who the fuck is we?"

"Me and Tyler."

"Fuck, are you one of those now? Since when did I become we?" Kat glared at her, then turned to Bonnie and said "She finally gets a fucking key and I becomes we."

Ignoring Katherine's cynicism, Bonnie asked Caroline "You're tending the bar?"

"He's getting a couple of celebrities to tend the bar as part of a gimmick." Caroline explained, sucking her drink through a straw.

"Since when did you become a celebrity?"

"Kat, I swear one more rant out of you and I'm out of here." Caroline wagged her finger at the brunette, refusing to stomach anymore of her unsolicited boorishness.

"You can't leave. I thought you were spending the night at the apartment. Tyler can do without you for one night." Bonnie protested and shot Kat a warning look to illustrate Caroline's point.

"I don't know." Caroline hesitated, seeming to consider the offer of sleeping in her own bed for the evening. Bonnie was about to throw in the offer of Netflix, a chilled bottle of chardonnay and a movie when someone tapped her on her shoulder.

"Hi, you're Bonnie Bennett right?" the woman asked as all six pairs of eyes turned to her. She was small and slight much like Bonnie and her blond hair was splayed around her shoulders.

"Yeah?"

"I love your vlog."

"Thank you.

"Can I get an autograph?"

"Are you punking me?" Bonnie's eyes darted around trying to see if she was being set up.

"No."

"Yeah sure" Bonnie smiled, "Who should I make it out to?" she asked taking the pen the girl offered.

"Taryn." The woman said as Bonnie signed on her napkin.

"Wow." Caroline exclaimed once the woman left.

"What?"

"I'm thinking Mason should probably ask _you_ to work the bar."

"In these shoes?" Bonnie laughed indicating to her six inch spike heels, "Not a chance."

..

 _A/N: I decided to continue with this story because I missed these characters so much. If you're still reading and following, Kol will appear in the next chapter and no he's not in New York anymore._


	17. Forward

Kol eased back in his chair and took sip of cognac. He was looking out the window of the family's private jet.

A tangy scent of citrus alerted him to the fact that a woman was in the vicinity and when he looked up he found Jenny, his private hostess smiling down at him. When he returned her smile she leaned over and offered him a cigar from a humidified wooden box. He nodded to her as he plucked one out, twirling it around between his fingers and lifting it to his nose.

"Thank you, Jenny." He managed to say as he used a cutter to slice off the tip. She took pleasure in lighting it for him before sauntering off to the front of the empty aircraft. It was just him, Jenny and the two pilots. Kol sucked gently on his cigar, releasing a cloud of smoke while he stared outside the window again. The sky was dark indicating that it was late evening. His phone was off and he hadn't checked his e-mails all day. His mind drifted back to Bonnie.

He could still see her standing outside her apartment building, shivering in the early morning chill while she stared up at him with those fierce green eyes. Bonnie deserved her happily ever after but he wasn't the man to give it to her.

Not yet.

He wondered how Elijah and Klaus would take the news of him absconding and leaving them to clean up his mess once again. He was pretty sure that Elijah would be flying in from London to New York if he wasn't there already.

He could smell bullshit a mile off and he'd become quite equipped in cleaning it up. He's swoop in, handle the board, monitor the situation and fly off again to handle other business ventures back in Europe. Elijah was order, Klaus mischief and Kol was chaos. It had been like that since they were kids and the baby of the family, his sister Rebekah fell somewhere in the middle with her stubborn nature.

Like him, Elijah was single and never married but unlike Kol, he didn't suffer from fear of commitment, he was simply too busy and the business took too much of his time. He thought women were a distraction which is probably why he'd lost Camille to Klaus in the first place.

He picked up the bottle of Henri IV next to him and twisted the crystal cap off. When Jenny saw that he was attempting to refill is own drink she rushed to him but he halted her by raising his hand and shaking his head. He didn't need to be waited on.

Shortly after he poured himself another shot, the hostess announced that they were about to begin their descent into Argentina.

..

Buenos Aires.

Kol was still struck by how colorful and vibrant the city was. He could taste the excitement in the air. Through the rolled up windows of black town car, he watched the city speed by in a blur. The cobblestone streets were lined with pulsating eclectic restaurants and clubs and people buzzing with energy. His family didn't have a home in Argentina so he was going to be staying at a boutique hotel.

When the car pulled up ion front of the hotel, the concierge darted forward to open his door before his driver could assist him. A porter helped him with his duffel bag and as they bounded the red carpeted steps leading to the wide front doors, a few women walking around the lobby turned to admire him. He pulled up the hood of his black sweatshirt and shielded his face with its three day old scruff from their stares. After retrieving his key from reception, he followed the porter to a bank of old-fashioned elevators and slipped inside.

As soon as the doors closed behind them, Kol flopped down on a plush padded bench and rested his head against the dark-wood wall of the elevator. He tilted his head back and watched the numbers ascend. He was tired; he could feel it in his shoulders. What he needed was a warm shower and another stiff drink. When the car jerked to a stop, he lifted himself up with the assistance of a brass handrail and stepped out, the porter following him a step behind.

Kol used his card key to open the suite then flicked on a light switch. A crystal chandelier illuminated a long dark dining table ringed with red velvet chairs. His eyes slid to a red velvet banquette with booster pillows, heavy drapes, a stacked liquor bar and then settled back on the porter who had already placed his bag on the table.

"Gracias." Kol smiled and pulled out a large tip from his wallet. After a large in take of breath, he crossed the room to the bar and filled a shot glass with bourbon. Then slipping off his hood, he explored the rest of the suite.

Through a pair of rich oak double doors lay the bedroom with a plasma TV set against a velvet tufted wall and a four poster bed sitting atop a dark wooden floor. He moved to a wall of dark French doors and pushed them open to a wrought-iron balcony overlooking a square. At the center of the bubbling fountain was a naked statue of Venus. Kol took another swig at his drink and unzipped his sweatshirt.

What he needed was a hot shower, a hot meal and perhaps some company. He hated dining alone.

..

Kol felt a rush of adrenalin as soon as he crossed the threshold of the restaurant. The place had an old world charm, history and old magic as he climbed the stairs that led to the restaurant section of the bar. He brushed past couples who were skipping down the stairs to make use of the small dance floor downstairs. Kol tossed a look over his shoulder at a few people dancing the tango and smiled.

When he reached the top of the stairs, a server showed him to table and handed him a wine menu. He ordered bourbon and decided to request a good bottle of wine when his guest arrived. A few minutes later with fresh drink in hand, he looked up to see Raquel walking toward his table. He rose to his feet. Several male heads turned at the sight of her voluptuous figure encased in a wine-red dress. She was still attractive, Kol would give her that.

"Kol" She laughed as loud as life and welcomed him with a hug and kiss on both cheeks.

Thirty minutes later after exhausting all small talk, Kol glanced at the rich, inky red wine in his glass and the white plate garnished with steak and vegetables. He decided to ask about the big elephant in the room.

"You married?" he asked, looking up at Raquel.

"Si, estoy casado." She nodded her smile broad and luminous. She looked happy, Kol thought. As if reading his thoughts, she leaned over the table and clarified.

"A woman needs to grow up and find someone who doesn't mind sharing a bed with her after a tryst. My husband likes to cuddle and he doesn't spend half his time travelling the world." She smiled and played with the tips of her gold tassel earrings.

"He allowed you to meet for dinner so late?"

"Yes. We trust each other but I cannot stay very late. I'm meeting him for drinks later." She said then suddenly perking up, she asked "Would you like to join us?"

"Some other time." He glanced back down at his plate and picked a morsel of broccoli with his fork.

"Are you seeing anyone?" Raquel asked, digging into her salad.

"I was."

"And yet here you are."

"And so here I am."

She nibbled her lip, seeming to consider her statement before she said "Love is a risk. You take so many risks, thrills and yet you're so scared of the one that matters the most. Why?"

Kol swallowed and waved her question away "Enough about me."

He reached into his the inside pocket of his jacket and produced a small gift-wrapped box. Silently he slipped it across the table and looked at her expectantly. He watched as she tore open the wrapping paper and sipped his wine. She plucked a snow globe out of the box and gave it a shake. Inside was a miniature Manhattan with flakes of snow dancing around the glass. Setting the globe back down, she picked up her glass and gave him a little toast to say thank you.

Kol smiled with a nod and said, "You're welcome."

Later he was alone in his suite. He lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. He thought about how happy Raquel had looked and wondered if she had really found peace in love. Perhaps he could also find his peace if he took a little soul searching and really dug deep to the source of how he got so screwed up. Finally reasoning with himself he took out his cell phone and switched it on. He dismissed the pings that alerted him to new messages and e-mails and scrolled through his contact list for Aubrey's number in Paris.

..

Bonnie was coming out of the office buildings when she saw Alfred outside rounding a glossy black limousine with tinted windows. He was amidst a mob of reporters, cameras flashing as they waited for whoever was inside the vehicle to climb out.

Her stomach churned. Her chest rose and fell with her quickening pulse and her heart crashed against her ribs. She was jostled back by the reporters as they tried to get the money shot and she gulped a breath, waiting with baited breath along with the crowd. A dark haired man in an immaculate three piece navy-blue suit stepped out of the vehicle.

It was not Kol.

The man turned to assist a woman in a white dress out of the vehicle and the reporters went crazy. They both looked so elegant; she in the midi-dress with a matching cape, a black Hermes Kelly bag hanging from the crook of her arm and the man in a stylish suit and tie.

"I see the new Editor's here."

Bonnie turned toward the voice behind her and found Enzo, a camera around his neck and a sandwich in his right hand.

She looked at him dumbly before stuttering, "They're hiring a new Editor?"

What she meant to say was how can they replace Kol? It's too soon. It's much too soon.

"Yeah. Josette Parker all the way from Paris."

"Oh, who's that with her?"

"That would be Elijah Mikaelson."

"Kol's brother?" Bonnie eyes widened.

"Sorry." Enzo grimaced then took another bite of his sandwich.

"Sorry for what?"

"Your boyfriend. I heard around the rumor mill that you and Kol had a-"

"You heard wrong."

"Ok but it sort of made sense why you weren't ready for anything with me."

Bonnie opened her mouth to say something but snapped it back shut again.

"I meant what I said, by the way." Enzo brushed past her and gave her a wink, "Call me when you're ready, gorgeous."

..

They stood under an awning at a bus stop waiting for the bus with her picture to drive past.

"Look, I brought party hats." Caroline said handing out sparkly hats that were sure to add some color to a rather dreary afternoon.

"The rain is raining on my parade." Bonnie moaned and slapped a hat on her head. She held out her flute to Katherine who was toting around a magnum bottle of bubbly. The brunette filled each of their flutes with bubbling champagne and took a large swig from the bottle before setting it down on the dirty pavement.

"Here it comes." Caroline screamed.

They all cheered at her image on the bus and watched as a number of commuters climbed inside. She looked hot, she thought proudly.

When the festivities were done with, Katherine caught a cab to the west side of Manhattan and Bonnie and Caroline headed east.

"Remember when I told you that Mason was getting a few celebs to tend the bar at his opening as some sort of gimmick?" Caroline asked as she reapplied her lipstick with the aide of a hand mirror.

"Who's Mason?"

"Tyler's brother. He's having the bar opening this Saturday."

"Oh yeah."

"He wants to know if you can tend the bar."

"You're kidding right? Me tend the bar?"

"Don't you see what this means?"

"Er that your idiot boyfriend's brother wants me to work with no pay? I drink, I don't tend bars."

"That's because you can barely mix a vodka tonic but that's beside the point. Mason's asking you to work the bar because he considers you to be a celebrity."

"No offense but he also asked you." Bonnie chuckled, nudging her with her elbow.

"Gee thanks."

"Sorry."

"He asked me because of Tyler and Tyler offered his services because they're family. He's asking you because you're Bonnie Bennett, the sexpert."

"You make me sound like James Bond." Bonnie shook her head, playfully shoving Caroline. They both laughed until the cackles morphed into warm, glowing smiles.

"Uhm…by the way, I've been meaning to tell you but I'm thinking of moving in with Tyler." Caroline announced staring straight ahead and avoiding eye contact with Bonnie.

"Really? As in like live together, share space twenty-four-seven" Bonnie blinked, staring at Caroline.

"Yeah."

"In Brooklyn?"

In Brooklyn." Caroline brushed her shoulder lightly against Bonnie's and smiled.

Bonnie wondered, were they so desperate to find love that they equated flings with greedy, selfish pricks to be earth-shattering, soul shaking love? If that was the case then they were all doomed.

"What?" Caroline turned to her, her brows bunched up.

"Nothing. I'm happy for you." Bonnie lied.

..

"I can't stop thinking about him. I lay in bed staring at the ceiling and I either have fantasies of strangling him to death or kissing him to death. It can go either way depending on my mood." Bonnie spoke around a mouthful of chips while Matt raided the cabinet for more snacks.

"Well you have to forget him as quickly as possible. I don't want you to whine about Mr. Moneybags every time we get together." He said with a quick glimpse over his shoulder.

"I haven't been whining." She argued, punching him playfully on his shoulder.

"Really, Moaning Myrtle?" he countered and finally came up with a box of cookies and a slab of chocolate. He dumped them on the island next to the blender filled with a cocktail mix of their own design.

"Thank you for coming over and thank you for forgiving me." Bonnie told him then tossed more ice cubes into the blender.

"I'm just here for Hugh Jackman and the scarf." Matt winked.

"How did the bus thing go?"

"Terrible"

"Oh?"

"I know I wasn't expecting paparazzi or anything but it felt so uneventful."

"Give it time. Soon New York will love you just as much as we love you." Matt assured her.

..

It was a typical Friday night in Manhattan and it was yet another launch party for yet another rooftop bar. The crowd was a typical mix of Wall Street types, models and a sprinkling of actors. The speakers were blasting Aerosmith and Katherine was already mouthing the lyrics to Sweet Emotion. Before they had even ordered one drink. It felt all so eighties with the music, smoke filled air and the sweaty bodies pressed up against them.

"You want to get out of here?" she turned to Kat and Matt, shouting over the music.

"What?" Matt responded though his attention was clearly taken by a brunette with a cigarette dangling out the corner of his mouth.

"Let's leave." Bonnie suggested.

"We just got here." Katherine countered and pushed past her, heading to the crowded bar.

"I'm just worried about Care, its Mason's thing tonight and she's sort of counting on us."

Taking Bonnie by the elbow, Matt marched her to the bar and promised "Come on, two drinks and then we'll go."

Four drinks later and sufficiently tipsy, she checked her phone and saw three missed calls from Caroline. After finally pleading with the rest of the passé and convincing them that choosing a breed of hot Wall Street types over their best friends was in fact a douche act, they headed outside and hailed a cab.

"Are those business cards?" they both asked Katherine who was pulling them out of her clutch.

"Aha." She said proudly.

"How many did you get?"

"Six." She said, fanning them out like a deck of cards. She pulled one out, stuck the rest back in her clutch and stared at the one in her hand.

"He certainly must have made an impression." Bonnie gestured to the card in question with her chin.

"Actually, "Katherine began as she tore the cards to pieces, "I won't be calling him, he spent an entire thirty minutes trying to convince me how rich he was. Men who try to prove that they have money never have money."

"Your assets are really wasted as an entertainment writer." Matt smirked, looking up from his phone.

Tossing back her hair and giving him a wink, Kat said "I know. Speaking of assets who is that hot suit guy that was marching through the lobby this morning?"

"At the office?"

"Yes. I heard he was heading up Esther Magazine."

"Oh I saw them earlier. The hot suit's name is Elijah Mikaelson, Kol's brother. Apparently he's in town to help Jo Parker settle into the new Editor's job. "

"Replacing his brother so soon?" Katherine's brows shot up and just as Bonnie was about to pipe up in agreement, she decided to shut her mouth. She didn't want to talk about Kol tonight.

"The fashion industry is shrewd." She said instead.

"Tell me about it."

When the taxi pulled up in front of Mason's bar the crowd was spilling out of the bar onto the sidewalk. They entered the space and took in the African masks lining the bamboo walls and the mass of people on the dance floor. They moved through the bar, inhaling rum and floral perfumed air and for a moment, she forgot she was in Manhattan.

It felt like Havana or how she imagined Havana to be. It was hot, sultry and Cuban music was being played by a DJ at the turntables.

"Not bad." Katherine smiled, sweeping her gaze over a dancing crowd. A man busy unloosening his tie brushed past them smiling at her which only cemented the fact that this was in fact not a bad bar. Caroline was behind the long bamboo bar and when she saw them she beckoned them over.

"Hey, you guys made it. I'll get you some drinks." She said to them once they were within ear shot. The three of them settled along the bar and waited for Caroline who with the help of some other famous DJ and some actor, helped assemble their drinks.

She set the mojitos down in front of them with a dramatic flair just as a tall strikingly handsome man made his way to the bar next to Caroline.

"This is Mason Lockwood, Tyler's brother." She made the introductions.

"Mason, this Katherine, Matt and this is Bonnie, she writes a column. It's called The State of Sex in New York City."

"Congratulations. Great turn out." Bonnie smiled, glancing around the bar then back to Mason.

"Thanks. Its rent-a-crowd."

"Oh."

"I'm kidding." He blushed.

"I knew that."

"Enjoy yourselves. Just reminder it's a two drink minimum." He smiled, his gaze sweeping over all three of men.

"So you're basically holding us hostage for at least twenty minutes." Matt piped up, leaning slightly over the counter. Bonnie recognized hi infamous flirt pose.

With a laugh tossed over his broad shoulder, Mason said "Precisely"

..

An hour later, Mason returned with a fresh round of drinks. Katherine gaped at his magnificence and Bonnie caught him looking at her and smiled. As soon as he left their side, Katherine shot Bonnie a look over the rim of her glass.

"Well it seems we both like Mason." Kat said with her eyes fixed over Bonnie's shoulder watching Mason go.

"Uhm-"Bonnie coughed, nearly choking on her cucumber martini.

"You wanna flip a coin for him?" Kat suggested.

"For Mason?"

"No for Barney, the fat idiotic dinosaur." She scoffed, rolling her eyes and Bonnie pursed her lips.

"Just so you know I'm willing to sit out a marathon of green tea martinis to be the last woman standing." Katherine added to which Bonnie had to concede.

..

Later when she arrived at the apartment, she tossed her clutch on the kitchen counter, removed her shoes and slipped out of her dress all before she reached her bedroom. After changing into a large sweatshirt, she padded back to the kitchen and she'd just opened the fridge when her phone rang.

Lifting the phone from the counter, she swiped her thumb across the screen.

"Hello?" she answered, cradling it between her ear and shoulder while she evaluated the contents of the fridge.

"Hi there."

"Hi" she frowned, not recognizing the voice in her tipsy state.

"It's Mason from the bar. I got your number from Katherine."

'Oh hi." Stuttering, Bonnie straightened up and closed the fridge door with her bum.

"How about an exclusive over dinner?" Mason asked.

Her brows bunched up even more when she followed up with "Are you a journalist?"

"Sorry that was my silly attempt at banter. I'd like to see you again."

"Uhmm-"

"Sleep on it. Gimme a call tomorrow." He said hurriedly before she could even think of refusing him.

"Will do. Toodle-do." She ended the call, placed the phone back on the counter and scratched her head. Toodle-do? Had she really just said Toodle-do to him?

..


	18. The Back-Up Mason

"I saw the suit again. I rode up one of the elevators with him." Katherine was perched on the edge of Bonnie's desk, cup in hand and scrolling down her phone with her other hand.

"Hmm…That's nice." Bonnie replied absentmindedly as she shot through her e-mails.

"Where do you think he hangs out? Jean Georges, Le Berdanin, Bouley, Daniel-hey you've been do Daniel with Mr. English right?"

"Zip it."

"Maybe I can bump into him at Del Posto or something"

"I told you I don't want to talk about Kol"

"I wasn't talking about your delectable English dick, I was talking about mine. I'm talking about Elijah Mikaelson."

"Really? And when did this sudden ownership of one billionaire Elijah Mikaelson commence?"

"I'll forgive you for being a cranky cunt because you're looking so sexy in that dress and I'm feeling benevolent."

Bonnie was about to respond with her own retort when her phone rang. She raised a finger telling Kat to hold that thought. Then grabbing her phone, she balanced it against her shoulder and continued to peck at her keyboard.

"Hello."

"How's the State of Sex in New York City this morning?" came the voice sounding gravelly and hot.

"Er- disastrous like running with scissors." she didn't know who was at the end of the line but the voice fed her insatiable curiosity.

"Am I allowed to ask how this week's column is coming along?"

"Is this my new editor?"

"Sorry, this is Mason. We met a few nights ago at my bar." He chuckled and warm glow crept up the back of her neck.

"Hi Mason."

"Do you wanna have dinner tomorrow night?"

"I don't know." She hesitated, stealing a glance at Katherine who was eyeing her curiously.

"What's your gut telling you?"

"My gut is telling me yes."

"Your gut is right. Listen to it."

"Okay, call me later? With a smile she hung up the phone and stared at her screen before resuming with her heated conversation with Katherine.

..

"I wanna ask you something." Caroline said without looking up from her plate. They were having an early dinner at Poached, a small neighborhood cafe that served eggs round the clock.

"Shoot."

"So Tyler and I have been talking aaaaaand we've sort of come to an agreement regarding sex and uh-you know-protection. I mean we have been dating for a while and now that we're moving in together…well it just makes sense that we-"

"Poke holes in the condoms." Bonnie laughed as she doused her poached eggs with the café's homemade sauce.

When Caroline shot her with a look, she quickly raised her hands in self defense and said, "Ok I'm obviously kidding. This is a very serious dinner with very stern looking eggs so I must keep my face as serious as this conversation. "

"You want to stop using protection with him but you're not sure if you can trust him."

"Yes, no-yes I mean I do trust him but I don't want an STD." Caroline stammered looking rather apologetic like she felt guilty for not trusting her dog of a boyfriend.

"Sweetie if you're worried that this guy is still sticking it in someone else why are you moving in with him?"

Caroline chewed purposely before changing the subject, "Anyway, this is me giving you my official two weeks notice. I'm moving out in two weeks and I think that gives you plenty of time to find a roommate."

"A new roommate-hooray." Bonnie rolled her eyes and stabbed a tomato slice with her fork. She didn't want a stranger invading her space, didn't want to deal with secondhand sex that would leave her sleep deprived. She didn't want to deal with the passive aggressive behavior she'd obviously exhibit because said roommate was getting laid on the regular when she was still nursing heartbreak from a certain Englishman.

"I spoke to Mason. I think he really likes you." The blonde quickly declared, taking a sip of her orange juice.

"Yeah?" Bonnie arched a brow as she anticipated a breakdown of the conversation that her friend had with her possible new boyfriend. Boyfriend? Ok perhaps she was taking things too far and far too quickly.

"Which is why I told him to take it easy with you. You know, go slow because you're not really ready to go back to the dating market." Caroline explained as she dug into her eggs again.

Bonnie choked on her drink and coughed out, "You told Mason that I'm not ready to date?"

"Are you?"

"You had no right"

"I have every right. Mason is Tyler's brother and I don't want him to get hurt."

"So you're choosing him over me?"

"There are no sides here, Bon. I'm choosing to do the right thing."

"Dick move, Care-Bear, even for you."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. Do you know how much of a mission it is to meet someone even remotely dateable in this city?"

"I know which is why I think he should hold out for someone who's ready and you should well…you should get over Kol."

"I am over Kol."

"So you want Mason?"

"Yes."

"You want to use him as your rebound?"

"No. I liked him, we were flirting and there was a vibe."

"The flirting was perfunctory because you thought you had to and that vibe you felt was your stomach reacting to the bad kiwi in your cocktail."

"There was bad kiwi and you knew about this?"

"Focus, Bon. You cannot see Mason because you are still getting over Kol."

Bonnie shook her head even though she knew it was futile to fight Caroline when she was like this, "You had no right." She simply said and gathered her purse.

"You're leaving?"

"Yes. I'm heading home. I'll see you later."

"I'm heading out to Brooklyn tonight."

"Of course you are. Have fun."

..

Bonnie composed herself before entering the noodle bar he'd picked in Soho. She was happy that Mason called her two nights later to ask her out again on an official date even though Caroline didn't approve. It meant that Mason was his own man and she like that a lot.

When she spotted him at a table, he rose to meet her. He looked good, nice casual button-down shirt with a pair of jeans that did ridiculously awesome things to his ass. His eyes raked over her, taking in the details. She'd curled her hair in that way that magazine liked to call beach waves, painted her lips a glossy red and picked out a nice black top and a pair of jeans.

After greeting him with a kiss on both cheeks, they settled down and mason ordered a round of drinks.

.

"Wow the paper must pay a pretty buck!"

Bonnie took a sip of her martini and smiled, "I wish."

"How do you supplement your salary then?"

"I beg your-"

"I'm sorry I just noticed the big Chanel tag on your bag and-. Don't mind me."

"It's fake." She replied just as the server came out carrying small bowls of broth laden over rice noodles. He laid the dishes out in front of them and took leave so they could resume their conversation.

"Oh yeah?" Mason raised an eyebrow and looked at her curiously, his gaze travelling down her body to pause at her chest.

"The rest is all real, trust me." She smiled, nudging his leg with her knee.

"So tell me about yourself. Why'd you move to New York?" she asked attempting to change the subject.

"Are we really doing the standard date questions thing?"

"Its mandatory since this is a uhm… _real_ date."

"Well…I used to a firefighter."

"So you traded in being a hero to open a vegan bar?"

"Yes. I'm a class act." He joked, taking a swig of beer.

Minutes later the drinks flowed as did the conversation. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had fun on a date because she couldn't really call what she did with Kol dating.

An hour later they were outside waiting for a cab and winding down on their conversation.

"Well, thanks for a great evening. I had fun."

"Me too." She told him. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Bonnie edged closer to the street and peered at the traffic for a lit cab.

She lifted out her hand to hail a cab but he reached out, took hold of that hand and drew her closer to him. With one arm around her waist, he lifted her chin with his other hand so that she could look at him. The heat of his hand over her cheek made her heart jolt. She couldn't figure out what to do with her hands at first almost like she'd forgotten their function but when he smiled she seemed to remember and slid them up to his shoulders and around his neck.

With his lips a mere breathe away from hers, he said "I like you. I really like you."

Then he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. It was a slow soft kiss, one scented with warm beer and soy sauce.

And she kinda liked it.

..

 _A/N: Short chapter but hey I'm finally back. Dealt with health issues, my laptop being down etc. but here I am, back for another crazy ride._


End file.
